Honor Gamble
by farmerhot
Summary: Slade, once again, decides he wants Robin for his apprentice, as he seeks to trap his apprentice, his plan evolves and changes.  As Slade gets his new apprentice, the Titans try to fight back, but things are not as they seem.  pls read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I dont own the Titans. DC Comics does. or maybe Cartoon network. or both. Not really sure about the current affiliations, so had those who were in the Hive in season 1 back in it.

Focus on a TV Screen, the Teen Titans are shown and a news reporter is talking:

Reporter: "And the Titans have done it again, saving the city from yet another menace. Saving countless lives and city dollars. Lets talk with the Titans and ask them how they did it."

Reporter: "So, Tell us how you defeated Control Freak"

Robin looking comfortable in front of all the cameras: "It is teamwork. Our team can take on any individual threat."

Cyborg looking mad: "Yeah, we had to take him down. He was converting all the machines in the city to monsters. Just look at what he did to the T-Car." Then his voice gets softer as he inspects the T-Car closer "just look at what he did to my baby…"

Reporter: "So, what was your key to Victory today?" holding the microphone at Raven.

Raven: "…….."

Beastboy jumps in: "Control Freak thought he knew ALL the movies where machines took over the world, but he forgot one. He never saw Maximum Overdrive part 3, the Toaster's Revenge. I used this vital information…."

Robin: "WE used this vital information to put together a plan….."

Starfire talking to Raven while pointing at the camera: "And why are we explaining all of this to this person again? Have we done something not right?"

Cyborg: "Star, this is a reporter, we talk to her and the whole city will hear what we are saying. We can watch it later on the news"

Starfire: "Oh, is this the same "news" that you say is boring and always turn off to play your "video games"? "

Cyborg and Beastboy usher Starfire away from the reporter with a slight blush : "lets not mention that right now…" and Raven took this opportunity to disappear as well.

As the focus zooms out a little the Television screen shows Robin talking to the reporter again saying something about pulling together and then the TV is turned off, zooming out to show it had been Slade who was watching it.

Slade: "Enjoy your moment, apprentice. You will soon enough be working for me, when I find that one weakness that makes you change. That one thing that will turn you, as it did me…"

Slade sat down at a desk. He turned on a computer while looking at pictures of the 5 core members of the Teen Titans in deep thought.

Slade thoughts were driven: there must be something in one of your past that can be used to break up this little team and leave my apprentice at my mercy. As long as he has his precious friends he is worthless to me.

Slade held up a picture of Robin first thinking: You will be my apprentice. All that is known about you before the Titans is your protégé, and the Batman is not someone I would choose to deal with unless I have to. He put the picture down picking up Raven.

Slade picked up Raven's picture. I know enough about your lineage to know it is of no use to me. He placed the picture down, remembering his ordeals with Trigon. He picked up Beastboy.

Slade still in thought: I know about some of your past dealings, but I don't want to involve myself with those idiots in the Doom Patrol. The thought of dealing with a mind reader would be unappealing. He put the picture down picking up Starfire.

Slade knew only of the trouble she caused on her arrival but other than that, Starfire seem to be an enigma. Robin seems to have endeared himself to her though. Slade thought a second: If I can learn more about you then maybe you can be the stake to drive a wedge in this little team and give me my apprentice. He stared at the picture and turned to the computer.

Slade: "Computer, I want information about the Teen Titan member Starfire"

Computer: "Starfire: affiliation, Teen Titans. Home planet, Tamaran..."

Slade cut it off: "information on Tamaran"

A voice came out of the speakers, a playback of Starfire on another news report

Starfire: "oh, yes I do enjoy the Earth. It is much different than my home planet Tamaran, you have this spice called mustard which I really…." She kept talking, Slade cut the voice off by speaking.

Slade: "Computer, any other information on this Starfire?"

Computer: "Starfire, affiliation, Teen Titans. Home Planet, Tamaran. Known relatives: Sister, Blackfire" Slade waited this time, being patient enough to avoid listening to the whole thing a third time by cutting it off "pet: a mutant silkworm named Silkie. No further information found"

Slade: "any information on her sister, Blackfire?"

Computer: "Blackfire, sister to Starfire. She had a confrontation with the Teen Titans and she was escorted off planet by other aliens. No further information."

Slade thought a few minutes. Anything he wanted to learn about Starfire was not going to be gleaned on Earth. Why was this alien here? How can he use her to drive Robin out of the Titans?

Slade: "I think I will pay this Tamaran a visit" he thought for a minute. Very little was known about the alien planet except Starfire mentions it sometimes. He checked the computer screen. No useful information was mentioned by the alien during any of her interviews. Only the alien herself probably knew how to get there. And maybe her friends. Didn't they have a time when they said they traveled to her planet to explain an absence from the city? Slade thought, yes. They did. And now I will have my answer.

Brother Blood was sitting at his desk reviewing pictures of his students training when the telephone rang "Slade, you have need of my students once again? Just one? Hold on, I will get him" he put down the phone and pushed a button.

Brother Blood: "Gizmo, report to the head office immediately." He let go of the button and talked back into the phone "of course you know the cost of my students is not cheap. Even if it is merely by telephone. Of course. The usual account" there was a knock on the door and Brother Blood put the phone down.

Brother Blood: "Come in"

Gizmo "You wanted to see me sir?" Gizmo was usually sarcastic, but Brother Blood was one of the very few for whom he used a tone of respect.

Brother Blood: "Mr. Slade requires your assistance" he held out the telephone.

Gizmo took the phone. "Yes ? yes, I remember when we took over their stupid tower, yeah I helped that jerk Cyborg when he got hacked by that virus. Of course I hacked their system. A copy? Of course. I have a copy in my backpack (referring to the metal do-it-all on his back) but that won't help. They changed all their security codes after they took it back. You want it? Of course I got their whole system and all their data. Every last bit of it. Ok, I will send it." With that he put down the phone and looked at Brother Blood who held out an ISB cable. Gizmo plugged it in and typed on a keyboard.

Brother Blood picked up the phone "ready on this end. Merely waiting for your part" he was watching his bank account status on one window with the "send data" text on another window on the computer screen. The account status changed. Brother Blood then clicked Send and smiled.

Brother Blood: "I hope this transaction has been satisfactory. As always, when dealing with the Hive, you are dealing with the best" he hung up before Slade could say anything.

Slade spent the next few hours sorting through the data. He was very satisfied. Gizmo may have been a punk, but he knew about hacking. Slade could have, of course, hacked into the Titans system himself, but this saved him hours and, even more importantly, possible detection (he knew Cyborg was as good as Gizmo, maybe better). He reviewed the Tower specs. He reviewed the specs on the T-Car, the T-boat and then he saw the ship they had used to go into space. "Computer, review the specifications of this ship for extended space travel. Recommend possible upgrades. Change the specifications of the current design to two personnel and one storage compartment" he said this while outlining the specifications on the ship. After a while he finally came across the ship recorder data that showed him the route they had used to travel to Tamaran when she had went there. Also he got the date about her other space travels

Slade thought: it seems the alien can survive in space without a ship. With all of space at her command what secret keeps her locked on earth. And how can I use it to drive a wedge in the Titans?

He would only learn this in space, starting with Tamaran. Slade looked at the computer screen showing the ship with recommended upgrades and picked up the telephone.

Slade: "I need a ship built. Yes, the regular fee. Sending the specifications now" he clicked send and sat back. He would have his apprentice, or at least learn enough to drive the Titans apart.


	2. Chapter 2

The Teen Titans celebrated another victory. This time they had defeated Overload again. He had used the chaos that Control Freak had established in the mainframe of electronic equipment and tried to take over the world himself. He had almost succeeded having become a part of all the electronic equipment in the city he had assumed control of robotic equipment and built copies of himself into an army of tanks. The Titans had stopped him though it was a tough fight.

Reporter: "Congratulations again, young heroes. Tell us how you saved the day"

Robin (with a sling on one of his arms) "This was a tough fight, we're lucky we have some heavy hitters on the Titans, most of the credit goes to Cyborg for reprogramming the factory and transmitting the virus that reprogrammed the Overload tanks into street sweepers. And also to Starfire and Raven for keeping the army of machines at bay while he could reprogram it" he motioned toward the three. Cyborg blushed a bit and waved. Starfire and Raven seemed too tired to do much though. Starfire smiled a bit and tried to cheerfully wave, quickly regaining her energy.

Reporter: "what about you and the green changeling Beastboy?"

Robin: "Beastboy is on assignment helping his former team the Doom Patrol and I got hit by a lucky car early in the fight" he said this while holding up his arm in its sling.

Starfire: "nonsense, if it was your not for plan we couldn't have won the day" the camera panned over Starfire with many obvious bruises on her body, but still somewhat energetic.

Cyborg: "yeah, it was a team effort" then he paused "hey, am I starting to sound like Robin? Shees next thing you know I'll be wearing tights and a stupid cape"

Robin: "my cape is not stupid!" veins popping out on his forehead

Cyborg: "who wears green anyways, you know metallic grey is the new black"

Reporter: "and so you have it, this is channel 6 and good night" camera pans back showing Cyborg and Robin still bickering while they walk back into the tower, Starfire and Raven had already went inside.

Focus goes out to see Slade watching the TV again.

Slade: "computer, show the coverage on the Overload battle" the computer, which was programmed to automatically record and clarify any television coverage or internet coverage on the Titans started to play the fight on the screen. Slade watched with some interest until Robin was grazed by a car which had been inactive until that moment. Robin's attention was focused on a tank, which was shooting at Starfire. He threw his discs which exploded on the tank but caused no discernable damage. While Robin unleashed another barrage the car came alive, it's tires squeeling as it drove toward the hero. The sound of the tires made him aware of the car, but too late it seemed. Robin sidestepped the car, but the automatic door opened while it went by hitting Robin solidly and knocking him down. Slade began to lose interest at this point, citing Robin's error of not accounting for the door when the car exploding brought back his attention. Starfire had saw him go down and acted immediately. He rained starbolts on the car completely destroying it and landed by Robin facing the tank which was barreling toward him. She fired her eye beam which seemed to do no damage. What she did next surprised Slade though. She planted her feet and punched the tank as it charged her. It sounded like a car impact and of twisting metal. The Tank flew backward a few dozen feet and landed in a heap. Two more tanks were charging the downed figure of Robin and Starfire stood between him and them. One grazed her with a laser as she charged it throwing starbolts which did little damage. She ripped off the turrent and used her eyebeam to destroy the inside of the tank while Raven had seen the commotion and grabbed the other tank up in her energy and crushed it. They landed at Robin and Starfire picked him up.

Starfire said to Robin: "you're hurt, we need to get you somewhere safe"

Robin: "don't worry about me, you have to protect the factory. Overload's main program is in there, if Cyborg can reprogram him, these tanks will be disabled. You have to protect him."

Cyborg appeared on the screen VIA the security cameras in the factory. He was typing furiously into a keyboard occasionally transforming his arm into a cannon and firing it and yelling something. Many lasers few past, but seemed to not want to hit the mainframe that Cyborg was typing into. He used this to keep himself safe while hacking, fending off the occasional security robot or maintenance robot.

Outside Raven and Starfire flew around fending off the tanks and other vehicles which were being controlled, Raven with her energy, and Starfire with her starbolts, and in the case of the tanks, her strength as well. They never reached the parking lot of the building.

Slade watched the battle making mental notes on any weaknesses he saw in their strategy or in their abilities. They seemed to fight well, even with Robin out of the picture. He had obviously been training them. "Freeze frame" the picture froze on Starfire ripping off the turrent of another tank. "I need to learn more about all of my foes in order to completely defeat them" he pushed a button on the phone, it dialed and the speaker came on.

Slade: " what is the status of my order?"

Voice on phone "almost done, sir. Should be completed by next Tuesday"

Slade: "You mean it will be completed and delivered tomorrow as per our contract" said in a very threatening tone

Voice sounding nervous "Yes, I meant it will be completed and delivered by tomorrow and thank you for your patience" the telephone clicked and Slade sighed. He was a patient man, but did not have an inexhaustible supply of it. He wanted his apprentice and it was taking far too long for him to accomplish it.

Slade bided his time by inspecting his security drones and his base. Small as it was, it was one of the best in the world. He inspected his training area. This included weights, exercise machines, weapons, fighting drones, holographic teachers and opponents and various other training devices. Once he had his apprentice back, the training would be intense. Yes, he was ready for his apprentice now his apprentice need only be made ready for him. Slade thought for a minute and made a mental note to add a medical drone to his staff. Robin, apparently, could get hurt during training. Satisfied, he decided to relax by testing out the skill of his training drones. A good sweat may take his mind off waiting for his ship to be finished.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days the news covered no villains. And no Titans. Just regular old news from weather to a convenience store robbery (the police caught him soon after) to a stolen car (which was found the next day) just boring days.

Slade passed the time packing enough supplies for his trip and making notes of what he knew. He had programmed his ship with the information he received from the hacked database from the Titans. He would get there faster than the Titans had, with his upgraded ship. And he also knew they had encountered resistance, so his ship had upgraded defenses. No. he wouldn't die in the cold of space. He also knew that Starfire apparently had a sibling she did not like, to the point of hatred. This was nothing new. Sibling rivalry was common enough on Earth. With these few facts he was ready to set out to learn more. This was a small enough price to pay to separate her from his apprentice, and probably separate their whole team. Also, there is always the temptation of new technologies and information.

While the Titans relaxed in their tower, Slade finished packing, downloaded a copy of his computer's mainframe personality into the ship and got ready for take off. It was a quiet launch staying low until he was out of America's radar and reaching orbit over the pacific ocean.

Slade relaxed himself by watching videos of the titans during the trip, watching for weaknesses, disagreements, noting attitudes. He took stock of Raven's dour attitude, and at times how Cyborg was also very negative about his current cybernetic state. Also how Beastboy was at odds with his teammates often enough and noting how often some of the Titans did not like being ordered around by Robin. Slade noted the alien's positive attitude during almost all of these situations. Yes, removing her may indeed be the key to dissolving the Titans and getting him his apprentice. With this conclusion fresh in his head he slept until he reached the outer orbit of Tamaran.

Slade was awoke by the computer alarming him that they had reached the planet. He was greeted by the face of a Tamaranian man who asked his business. He said he was a mere traveler and needed to land for supplies. The man on the other end gave him directions to a smaller spaceport commonly used for such things. Then, as if on an afterthought he asked where this traveler was from. Slade had no reason to lie, so said he was from Earth. Slade was surprised when the man changed his earlier direction insisting he land at a spaceport in the main city.

These changed directions made Slade cautious. They had no reason to doubt his intentions. His name was barely known by the general populace in the United States, much less on an interplanetary level. No, he reasoned, there is no threat for me here.

But, Slade would be cautious nonetheless.

Once on the ground Slade hid a couple weapons on his suit (he always had some weapons, he just grabbed a few more) and with these in place he opened the door to the ship to see a few Tamaranian gaurds standing outside. A man walked past the guards and greeted him. Slade donned an earplug connected wirelessly to a translater with a speaker. He did not wish for them to learn English from him the way Starfire had from Robin."

Man: "welcome to the finest city on the planet Tamaran. I was told you are from the planet Earth is it?"

Slade: " Yes, I am from Earth"

Man: "has fate brought you to our fine planet today or have you traveled here before?"

Slade: "I have never been off the Earth, but I have dealt with one of your kind on my planet." he kept his relationship with Starfire a mystery not knowing her status as either a criminal or citizen. He hoped the mention of one of their kind of Earth may bring forth some information about her, since she is the only of her kind there. As far as he knew.

Man: "You know of a Tamaranian on Earth?"

Slade: "Yes, I have dealt with her, I think Starfire was her name"

"You mean Empress Starfire" a loud voice boomed from the nearby doorway. The guards instantly went to attention. The largest man Slade had seen for a long time walked through the doorway and very cheerfully greeted Slade.

Slade sounding surprised: "Empress Starfire?"

Emperor Galfore pulled Slade close, obviously assuming Slade as a friend of the Empress, why else would one travel so far from his homeworld to hers? "I know they call me Emperor here, but I am merely the custodian of the planet until our beloved empress comes home" he said with a voice that sounded like he wished that day was today.

Slade still soaking it in: "Empress Starfire is in charge of this city?"

Galfore boasted: "Empress Starfire rules over the planet Tamaran. She won the crown in a duel with her sister. A fine battle it was. I have never seen one better."

Slade's mind was ablaze. All he had to do to be rid of the alien girl was to have some emergency on the plane she ruled. This should be easy.

Galfore: "Come in my lad, any friend of Empress Starfire is a welcome guest indeed. Come, have you seen her battle with her sister? It was quite a show. Worthy of a fight for the crown"

Slade was not one to be social. He didn't speak but he did go in to see the fight. It's best to not upset the person who rules the planet you are currently on. Strike that. He didn't rule the planet, Starfire did.

Slade ate their disgusting food and watched the videos of the fight between Starfire and her sister very intently. The security cameras in the palace were more advanced than anything on earth, so every detail of every moment was captured with sound. He could clearly see Blackfire was using some device to increase her powers and saw the heart with which Starfire fought against a seeming unbeatable foe. Her fighting prowess may not be refined, but her spirit more than made up for her opponents advantage.

Slade was impressed with the young girl's fighting spirit and was starting to think as he was given a tour of the palace. Why get an apprentice who can help you start to take over the world, when you can have an apprentice who already has already accomplished it?

Galfore: "You are silent, Earthling. You must be tired. Let me show you to one of the guest rooms in the palace so you can rest. Although I am a busy man, any friend of the Empress deserves my hospitality"

Slade: "You have already told me more than enough." As Galfore lead him to his room they passed a room filled with books. Slade paused for a moment looking in.

Galfore: "ahh, the Imperial Library. Our planet's culture and history lives in these books. Everything from our customs, laws to our favorite recipes are here. Feel free to browse the library, but take care. Some of these books are irreplaceable"

Slade "Your culture and laws are of interest, but I don't have time to read volumes of books"

Galfore: "The books are mostly for show, Earthling. We long ago digitized our entire libraries." He held out a small disc which Slade took. "Ahh. Here's your room" and Slade went in and sat down. This had been a very productive day indeed he thought staring at the disc.

Slade spent that night and the following day reviewing Tamaranian customs and laws trying to find something, anything which would let him coerce the girl/empress. After another day Slade was coming up short. She seemed to be less swayed by logic than Robin is, and believed in her friends more than he would. He couldn't threaten the Titans because she would believe in their ability to persevere. After another day of reading laws Slade was starting to give up. The video of Starfire's fight with her sister was playing again in a window on the computer screen while he read the laws on a different window. Slade was just about to give up for the day when Starfire's words came from the screen. "What's best for Tamaran". Slade stopped reading and rewound the scene. "What's best for Tamaran".

Slade's laughter could be heard outside the door of his chamber while those words played out over and over.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Slade was taking off before most of the Palace was waking up. He had the disc and a copy of Starfire's fight with her sister and he loaded both into the computer on his ship. Blackfire, the sister, had been banished from Tamaran (a foolish gesture, he would have to teach his apprentice how to eliminate her enemies). With little work he had discovered the name and location of her last known whereabouts. Apparently Blackfire took little care to cover up her actions (like anyone else who wants attention).

Slade had flown to the over-inhabited planet she was supposed to be at. He landed and had little trouble finding a computer terminal using his translator again. He connected the device to the terminal and within seconds Blackfire's face appeared on the screen in a news program. She had apparently broken many laws since her encounter with Starfire and had been imprisoned. She wore similar type of shackles that Starfire had worn on her first trip to Earth. She was apparently destined for a long stay at a more secure prison on the outskirts of the city. Slade smiled at his luck arriving on the day she was being transferred. Had she already been incarcerated it would have been harder. He walked through a marketplace stopping once by a shouting merchant to buy a garment. He stood on an intersection and waited.

Slade had stood there for over two hours when he finally saw his quarry (sometimes prisons randomize their transfers to prevent escape). The hover vehicle came toward the intersection he stood on. He calmly threw something on the street right as it went by, causing it to immediately crash (powerful electromagnets are known for disrupting magnetically charged hover mechanisms which are mostly common and most dependable). The vehicle landed on 4 durable tires, which were set to automatically kick in. Some thrown spikes disabled those also. The guards jumped out of the front of the truck. Both heavily armed and both easily disabled. As they slumped to the ground Slade pulled out a plasma torch and started cutting the rear door. The guard inside was panicking and he threatened the prisoner (Blackfire). Slade calmly inserted a capsule into the hole he had already cut. The capsule released a gas, which immediately incapacitated both guard and prisoner. He calmly kept cutting, stepped out of the way when the door fell off, grabbed Blackfire's unconscious form and disappeared into the crowd. Elapsed time for whole escape: 32 seconds.

Blackfire awoke some time later she was sitting in a strange ship. He shackles had been removed and looking thru the cockpit window she realized she was on a strange planet.

Blackfire looking around: "what, where am I?"

Slade stepped out of the shadow of the doorway to the cockpit of the ship. "I saved your life. As to the where, just know you're safe."

Blackfire : "who the hell are you and what makes you think you saved my life? Those idiots had no intention of killing me. I would have escaped myself eventually. You did me no favors."

Slade's one eye narrowed: "I can take you back"

Blackfire didn't know this man, but something about him made her wary. His gaze also made her nervous. She decided it was best to not argue. "No need for that "she held up her hands "I'll just go"

Blackfire got up but Slade blocked the doorway. Now her eyes narrowed but she said nothing.

Slade held out his hand "You were slated for life in prison. I freed you. I have read your laws. You are in my debt"

Blackfire: "So, you broke me out just to have me work for you? I don't think so" she started to leave again, her eyes and hands glowing

Slade drew his sword and prepared to strike "I know all about you, Blackfire. Your world, your laws, your… family…. I know why you were driven from your home."

Blackfire calmed some "So you did some research. I thought your technology looked familiar. You're from Earth, right? You are certainly no hero, so did you came here for help fighting my sister and her little team?"

Slade continued. "I watched your fight with your sister. I want the winner."

Blackfire stepped back an insulted look on her face. Then anger. Then she calmed. "Fine, I owe you my life. I am in your debt. Take the shirt off my back. I think you know where you can find my sister." and with a flick she took the shirt off her back and stood there glaring at Slade while she handed it to him. His eye never left hers. He handed her the garment he had purchased in the market and stepped out of her way. She stepped out and flew off. Never looking back.


	5. Chapter 5

"Titans Go!" Robin's voice yelled out.

The 5 Titans were attacking Cinderblock. He had been spotted at a construction site. Apparently him drinking liquid cement made him bigger, so he was going to town. The Titans were not sure what he was after in the long term, Cinderblock seemed to act for the moment, and at this moment he was large and in charge.

Robin yelled while running toward Cinderblock's legs. He had no fear of being stepped on, he was much faster than the behemoth. Cyborg was firing his arm cannon at the monster. Testing how ultrasound worked on the hard surface, manipulating the frequencies trying to find one the concrete monster would be weak against. Starfire and Raven flew overhead, about at the monster's shoulder level (which was about 30 feet at the moment) and keeping his attention. The monster had grabbed a steel beam and was trying to swat at them with it.

The fight went on for about 20 minutes and then Cinderblock started getting desperate. He started throwing things at the bystanders and nearby buildings. First grabbing the cement truck and flinging it. Raven landed and focused all her attention on stopping the truck before it hit the civilians a mere hundred yards away. Cinderblock used this moment to snatch up his steel beam and swung down at the now immobile Raven. Robin and Beastboy screamed her name, but she heard nothing. The truck and the lives of those people was her entire world right now. The swing was vicious and Raven couldn't move else those people die. Cinderblock finished his swing and a surprised grunt came from his mouth. His downward swing had been stopped. Starfire stood beside Raven holding the other end of the beam in her hands. She had saw Raven's danger and the adrenaline along with her love of her friends gave her strength. Her eyes glowing brightly, she ripped the beam out of his hands and dropped dropped it as Beastboy charged. He had taken the form of a triceratops and hit Cinderblock dead center with those huge horns. The beast yelled and swung but Beastboy had changed to a bird and easily avoided the blows. Cyborg yelled that Beastboy had left a crack on his smooth surface. Robin threw his explosive discs while Cyborg fired his beam cannon at it, Raven had set down the truck and turned to face Cinderblock, but was too exhausted to attack yet. Starfire threw her starbolts at the point where Cyborg hit. The crack grew bigger but Cinderblock still continued fighting. It was then that Beastboy hit the beast with another similar attack as before when it split in half and crumbled. The fighting stopped a minute while they readied themselves for an attack which didn't come. Cinderblock was finished and upon inspection seemed to be nothing more than concrete. Nothing resembling life at all, until they found the hollowed out inside which looked like a smaller version of Cinderblock which was nowhere to be found.

Afterward, of course, came the reporters. There had been very little damage done, even to the building under construction and the truck which had been thrown. This is the reason the Titans were so popular, they usually handled the bad guys while costing the city very little. Robin told the reporters how, once again, teamwork saved the day and the other Titans took this moment, as usual, to disappear.

Back at Titan Tower the young heroes relaxed. Robin and Beastboy were playing a video game. Beastboy had just finished defeating Cyborg, who was in turn being consoled by Starfire. There was a lot of yelling, back slapping and good spirit.

Even Raven, who was reading a book, was joining in by reading her book in the same room. She seldom shut herself into her room anymore and her presence with the others meant a lot, so they left her read in peace. Raven smiled as she read. (she had read every book in the tower, and had to hit the different libraries weekly) flinching only once when Starfire offered to make Cyborg some Glugbort Pie, which was known to cheer up people on her planet. Cyborg replied kicking Beastboy's butt would make him happier but alas that was not to be. Robin had beaten Beastboy so Cyborg's challenge would be at him instead.

"Oh yeah" Cyborg said, jumping over the couch and grabbing the controller.

Starfire was now consoling Beastboy who was saying that Starfire's mention of food had distracted him. Starfire offered to make the pie for him, which he replied "is there any meat in it?"

About a dozen ordered pizza's, a glugbort pie and maybe a little mustard later the Titans went their separate ways. Robin stood on the roof of the tower overlooking the city. It was at these moments he felt at peace. His communicator would alert him if any emergencies happened in the city. He looked at the view of the city and the water as if watching for something to happen. He heard the wind whisper for a moment and turned around. It was Starfire. She had a habit of staying up late also. Robin guessed Tamaranians needed less sleep than humans, because she always seemed to be up late and was usually one of the first ones awake.

Starfire "the city is so pretty at night" she had said this before, she caught him up here many times and usually started with a similar statement. He usually just agreed.

"yeah, it is Star" he said "I feel like when I stand out here nothing bad will happen to the city, or I will be able to see it before it comes."

Starfire was silent for a few minutes, looking out over the city with Robin. Without breaking the silence again she left. He didn't have to ask where she went.

Starfire flew down to the garage. Cyborg was working on the T-Car. He was intently upgrading some portion of the engine and waved happily as he worked. Cyborg was at peace when he built, so Starfire simply watched him work.

When Cyborg's welding became boring, Starfire went silently to the main room. Beastboy was there like usual watching the late movies. His sense of hearing was not as trained as Robin's so he didn't hear the girl float up behind the couch. So she stood there behind him and smiled, watching the movie. Right when the moment was right she made her presence known by tapping Beastboy on the shoulder. He jumped off the couch, turned around and saw Starfire smiling. She acted innocent, but he could swear that she did that on purpose.

"Is this another of your scary movies?" she asked with an innocent voice

"Yeah Star, its one of the best. In this one the swamp monster is taking revenge on the swamp for making it a monster. It's almost over if you want to finish it with me" And so she joined him on the couch. They watched the last 10 minutes of the movie and when the credits started to roll Beastboy started to clean up the small mess he had created. Starfire helped him a minute and then disappeared. Raven was reading when she felt the presence on the other side of the door.

"Come in, Star" Raven said

Starfire came into the room with a smile "amazing, friend Raven. You knew it was me without even a knock"

Raven almost smiled, she knew Starfire was kidding around. She looked up from her reading and saw that Starfire was holding a book toward her.

Starfire: "I got this from long distance transmission this morning from the Tamaranian main library, I printed it out because I know how much you like to read words on paper"

Raven glanced at the page she was on before putting the book down and took the book from Starfire. It was very large and printed double sided. The job was very professional looking, with even a solid cover which, even though it was just white cardboard, had some very well drawn pictures which Starfire must have drawn herself. IT also had choreographed wording. The title "Tamaranian ancient superstitions and mysticism" caught her attention. The drawing and text on the covers matched the theme of the title. Raven decided she would read the Asian folklore book for the fourth time some other day.

Raven: "thanks, Starfire, but what's the occasion?"

Starfire: "As an ambassador of Tamaran I am always happy to share my culture with my friends" she stayed with Raven for a bit, laughing at some of the more childish folklore that the book held, and pointing out some of the more serious things she had been taught as she grew up. By the time Starfire left Raven was ready for sleep.

And Titans Tower slept, until breakfast the next day.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days were unusually calm. Robin rode his motorbike around the city looking for any danger. He wound up being asked my an extremely nice old lady to rescue her cat from a really, really tall tree. After having no success he called upon Beastboy who arrived with Cyborg in the T-Car. After Cyborg offered to lower the tree's height by about 98 with his arm cannon, Beastboy turned into a hawk and flew up after the cat, which panicked seeing the large predator bearing down on it. So then Beastboy turned into a squirrel and tried to get the cat to chase him down with no luck. The cat was scared to move. After trying several more shapes (including a brontosaurus which Robin may have tried climbing up to get the cat (too large, too many parked cars) and even Cyborg tried launching Robin at the cat by throwing him (Robin landed in a dumpster, bringing much laughter) finally Raven showed up out of nowhere, grabbed the cat and gave it to the owner (she had been heading to the library anyways).

It was on the following day an emergency call went out from the outskirts of the city. The local nuclear (of course, they're always nuclear) power plant had been taken over by a bunch of robots whom looked like Cyborg.

The Titans arrived on the scene in their T-Car and saw that the area around the power plant was being guarded by more robots and the police had set up a perimeter around the area, but wisely chose to not confront the robots.

Cyborg, furious at seeing more of the robots who so closely resembled him spoke first "This has to be Brother Blood again, when I get my hands on him.."

"he'll be stopped" Robin cut in "but first we need to find out why they took over the plant. We need to disable them without damaging the plant. A meltdown this close to the city would be a disaster"

Upon seeing the Titans arrive the robots started firing, both at them and the civilians nearby, this brought things to a head. Robin spoke first "Titans Go!" As he said this the alarms started going off in the plant and outside meaning the plant was in danger of meltdown. Just as this occurred they saw something new. Some of the robots grew wings with rockets and started flying while firing at people.

Cyborg was in shock "Since when can I fly? They got the design all wrong!"

Robin stayed focused : "We need to stop that meltdown. Star, Raven deal with the flyers, Beastboy protect the people on the ground, me and Cyborg will go inside and stop this meltdown. GO!"

With this they all went into action. Beastboy, turned into a rhino and charged the closest robot he saw firing toward the police (who had chose to hide behind their cars). Cyborg and Robin charged the front door of the building in the T-Car while the robots fired at them, hitting the car several times. Cyborg spun the car around to park it with the driver side door beside the doors to the plant. He and Robin charged inside while the car received several more hits (getting a cry of my baby from Cyborg who kept running with Robin). Starfire and Raven flew after the flying robots.

After several minutes of combat things seemed to be going badly for the Titans, these new robots were upgraded from before. Each seemed nearly as strong as Cyborg. The first to go down was Beastboy. He had stampeded over 3 robots in his Triceratops form, deflecting their beams with the bone shield that held the horns before skewering them. He turned to see one of the cop cars explode and another, then 2 robots turned on the unprotected crowd with their main cannons. This would hurt or kill dozens, so Beastboy turned into a hummingbird, flew between the robots and the crowd. He then turned into a brontosaurus and took their beams at full force. He let out a loud roar, but kept his form long enough to fall over and crush the 3 that hit him.

Starfire and Raven both saw what happened and rushed to help, he insisted he was ok and weakly got up. It was then that two robots started grabbing barrels full of the toxic waste by products from the plant, cars, and anything else they could grab and started throwing them at the crowd (since their cannons had not been much use against against the laser-resistant coating on some of the police cars). Raven immediately went into action grabbing all the projectiles out of the air, but this took most of her concentration, aside from defending herself from the stray beams, she couldn't destroy the robots. Starfire charged toward the throwers when 2 of the flyers hit Beastboy with another blast. Still in his human form, he let out a cry and went down. Starfire saw this and went into a rage, bearing down on the blasters while throwing starbolts. She had destroyed the 2 who hit Beastboy when she turned, looked at the throwers and unleashed her eye beam destroying one of them. Raven returned some of the barrels which had been thrown destroying the other one and they had a moment to pause. Then the robots which had been crushed and pierced by Beastboy got up. The ones who were not completely destroyed started piecing themselves back together. This panicked the trio until their communicator went off with Robin's voice saying "careful Titans, if you don't completely destroy them they put themselves back together"

At this point the robots seemed to converge on the three outside. Raven formed a shield around the three. With Beastboy down they would have to be on the defensive. Starfire saw three of the flyers shoot into the crowd and looked at Raven before flying out of the shield she was maintaining. Upon seeing her, the flyers went in what seemed like a random direction firing down on the people who were now fleeing the scene. Starfire chased after them firing. The robots seemed to want to evade her shots more than inflict damage. Starfire chased them for about a minute going in random directions before they crashed into one of the upper stories of a warehouse building. She followed them in prepared for a trap. Starfire landed in a large room, the door was opened, but she doubted the robots had ran thru the door, but doubted they would have opened it. She followed after them ready.

The moment the stepped through the door the trap was sprung. All three robots jumped her from the large room on the other side of the door leading to the main warehouse. One grabbed her in a bearhug, which she took for a second before overpowering the robot by simply spreading her arms. She punched the robot in the chest and was hit by a second's fist. She hit the floor, looked up and disintegrated the assailant with her eye beam. The third robot never got the chance to attack, she peppered it with starbolts while it approached her, and when it transformed its arm to a cannon, she was close enough to rip it off and finish it with an eye beam. She went back to the first robot, which was attempting to assemble itself, she punched it into smaller pieces. And she finally saw what she was looking for. A small box with a flashing red light and some cables attached which were desperately trying to grab pieces to attach to itself. She stepped on the box and the rest of the robot went dead. She spun around to go back the way she came and walked right into Slade.


	7. Chapter 7

SLADE! Was Starfire's first thought. She jumped away from him and prepared for an attack. Upon seeing this she saw him simply raise his hands and start to talk.

Slade: "your senses are untrained. I didn't even try to conceal my presence"

Starfire: "what are you doing here? Did you plan this? How did you get those robots?"

Slade calmly said: "Brother Blood will supply distractions, at a cost. And this has cost me a lot. But it can cost your friends more." He motioned to her communicator. Robins voice was yelling out of it " I can't find a way to stop this meltdown with these robots attacking" Cyborg was yelling something about 30 seconds and Raven's voice was heard over concussion blasts on her shield. She was saying something about Beastboy and a hospital. Slade continued : "I can save your friends for a minute of your time" he paused looking at her, she heard her friend's panicked voices coming over the communicator and looked up at him and nodded. He pushed the button and she heard the Titans voices coming from her device. The relief was evident in their voices, as was their confusion.

Cyborg's voice rang out "That was close, Robin. I'm glad you got it shut down"

Robin sounding confused "I didn't do anything. It just seemed to shut off on it's own. Maybe there is a failsafe built in"

Raven's voice came out "the robots stopped attacking suddenly as if confused, I got Beastboy in an ambulance that was nearby."

Starfire glared at Slade "why did you do this? And why would you suddenly stop?"

Slade remained calm "I didn't set this up to harm the Titans. Or the city. I did this to collect what is owed me" and his eye narrowed at her "and I expect you to honor your debt"

Starfire stepped back "Me? You did this because of me? But I don't owe you anything"

Slade replied "You owe me your life. In exchange for saving the life of your only family" He held up Blackfire's shirt. Starfire was in shock.

Slade continues "so if you are done talking, we will take our leave" Starfire didn't budge.

Starfire: "This has to be some kind of trick. You couldn't have saved my sister, you don't even know her"

Slade sighed and pushed the button again. Starfire heard her friends voices panic thru the communicator and she turn to him threateningly "Turn it off"

Slade (always calm) "girl don't presume to order me. Now do what your laws and your honor demands. Take up the debt of your family" he still held out the shirt."

Starfire was confused and panicked. How did you get that? it belongs to my sister"

Slade: "Yes. the sister you left to die on a foreign world. I rescued her. Your only remaining family. I saved her life. But she has no honor it seems. She left her debt for you to pay. How much like her are you?"

Slade tossed Starfire an Ipod with one video which was already playing. Starfire watched and listened in shock at the words Blackfire uttered. ""Fine, I am in your debt. Take the shirt off my back. I think you know where to find my sister" Blackfire had flown off, but Starfire couldn't. The laws and her duty were clear. She had to repay the debt her family owed. But, should she really serve such an evil man? This was too much for her. "I can't abandon my friends" she said softly

Slade stepped toward her "like you abandoned your sister? Like you abandoned your world? I wont let you shirk this responsibility."

Starfire bowed her head. She had abandoned her sister. She had often wondered what Blackfire would do after being banished. She knew it was probably her actions that had left Blackfire in whatever situation Slade had rescued her from. This made her feel worse. She knew she had left Tamaran in the hands of a good man. But still, it was not his responsibility. It was hers.

Slade pressed on "Your laws and your honor demands you fulfill your duty."

Starfire was in chaos. She knew he was right but she did not want to serve this evil man. Pictures flashing thru her mind reminding her of Tamaranian folklore, heroes who died rather than dishonor themselves. And of the evil ones who believed that cowardice was preferred over their honor, suffering fates far worse than death. Also an emperor who had no honor came to mind. He had stained the history of Tamaran for hundreds of years. Even today his name was known. His name had been Troq.

Slade knew she was on the verge of giving in so he pressed on "when someone abandons their honor they are a coward. When royalty has no honor they reflect all of Tamaran. What is your decision? Will you fulfill your debt or are those who call your people Troq correct?" he stepped toward her with the shirt still in his hand

Starfire's head was spinning. The words he said were all true. She did have to take up the mantle her sister left her. She did have to keep her honor, both for herself and for Tamaran. An old Tamaranian saying coming to mind "The greatest heroes persevere through their trials with honor"

Starfire sighed, looked up into his eye. Without a word she then stripped off her shirt, took the one Slade offered and took upon herself the mantle of Blackfire's debt.

Slade pushed the button on the controller again turning off the threat against Starfire's friends, he no longer had a need to threaten them. The last thing Starfire heard as she placed the communicator on the floor next to her garment and flew off with Slade was the relief in the voices of her friends and one Titan asking "anyone see Starfire?"


	8. Chapter 8

The Teen Titans spent the next hours searching for their lost friend. Cyborg had built tracking devices into the communicators, so finding the warehouse did not take long, but that only brought more questions. Like why was Starfire's shirt here?

Robin searched the area for clues while Cyborg searched the remains of the robots Starfire had destroyed. Raven stood there cradling the shirt they had found in her arms.

Raven spoke which was uncommon for her: "I shouldn't have let her go off"

Robin "It isn't your fault Raven, this was obviously a trap. Brother Blood must have wanted her for some reason. We're going to get her back"

Cyborg was looking around with different types of infared scanners: "Why would he change his MO? He's always had it out for me, why Star all of a sudden?"

Robin: "It doesn't matter. Brother Blood had his robots attack that power plant as a distraction to draw Star here, well we're going to get her back" still searching the area for clues, but still finding nothing.

Beastboy who had been sniffing around in the form of a hound dog changed back to his human form and spoke "uhh. We have one problem with your plan. It wasn't Brother Blood who did this. It was Slade"

The others stopped and stared at him Robin spoke "Slade? Are you sure?"

Beastboy "Duh, a dog's sense of smell is 25 times that of a human's. Slade may be careful enough to leave no clues you can find, but something here made him sweat. And he did a lot of talking, I can still smell his breath in the air."

These words silenced the Titans. Robin spoke "I am not sure how Slade got those robots, or what he wants with Starfire, but he won't have her long" even as he said the words he sounded nervous. It was obvious that Slade put a lot of planning into this, and Robin knew that anything Slade put this much work into wouldn't easily be overcome. Just one question remained in his mind, just like the others. Why Starfire? Well, that and why wasn't she wearing a shirt?

They spent the next few days searching all of Slade's known bases, some suspected ones as well. Cyborg hacked into the Hive, retrieving the information on the sale of the robots to an unknown party who paid for them with a bank account which was also to an alias. There was no clues to be had there.

Cyborg came up with a plan, he figured with Starfire's alien physiology she would have a different heat pattern than a human, so all they had to do was scan the city using satellites and this would find her. They spent a day searching through the scans, but found nothing. Beastboy used his animal talents to search for her throughout the city.

One thing became obvious, wherever she was, she was no longer in the city, or anywhere near it.


	9. Chapter 9

Slade had to leave the city. At least temporarily. Taking Robin from the Titans was easy enough, but taking this girl left Robin to lead the search effort. With Robin's detective skills, he would have to leave the city entirely else he would eventually be found. In moments like this he almost doubted his decision to take the girl instead. They had went to the local airport, where the private aircraft are kept. Slade did own mundane technologies. He used them when he wished to escape notice. With so many planes flown daily, tracking down one unscheduled flight was impossible to track. With a simple hack he entered his flight into the database and was cleared to take off soon after. All the while the alien girl sat beside him without making a sound. Clearly nervous and scared, she was playing the brave little soldier. Slade almost smiled.

Slade had set up small bases in remote areas both in and out of the United States. He had converted this small base for training this girl, it had been set up to test his prototype robot fighters, so it was simple to change it for testing this alien, his new apprentice.

Slade landed on the small field and pulled the plane into the building that would hide it from detection. He got out telling his apprentice to also exit the vehicle. He had already set up his first test for her. Before you can train someone, you must know their limits.

As Starfire got out of the plane and lightly set herself beside Slade. He had stood beside a row of bars leaning against the wall. He picked up the one on the far left and presented it to her. It was aluminum. "bend this" he said. She took the bar from him and while still looking at him, she bent it as if it was a toy and dropped it on the ground. He picked up the iron bar held it to her and bent it. Next was the steel bar. The bar glowed red at the seam where she bent it, but it yielded to her strength. Finally he handed her the last bar. The reinforced titanium bar. It was not here for her to bend, but to show her that she had limits. She was not supposed to be able to bend it, but the metal screamed and sparks flew as she applied her strength. She sweat just a little as the metal shredded and glowed at the bending point and when it was bent as far as the other bars had been, she set it down. Slade's eye opened just a little wider than it normally was as he observed this. He showed her a small room with a cot and sleeping bag and ordered her to rest. It was getting late after all, and he had a lot of work to do changing all the training equipment before the morning.

The next few weeks flew by for the Titans. When not battling villains they intensified their search for Starfire. Starfire spent the time training nonstop. At first Slade forbid her from flying or using her starbolts, then after she became proficient enough, he allowed he to use her other abilities, training her on accuracy, concentration and even aerial combat. Then he started training her on using her talents together. She learned with a quickness that startled Slade, but he wanted to see her limits.

Slade was watching her take on another squad of robots. He wore a headset with a microphone, which she communicated with Starfire, usually to critisize her and comment on her technique. She flew into the squad, downing 4 of them with a burst of starbolts while dodging their firepower. The most armored one she could not effect with her energy. She landed near and it swung it's weapon toward her, she grabbed the barrel of the gun and gripped it with her hand while channeling her starbolt energy into it, essentially hitting it point blank with her energy, and it melted. She then ducked under its backhand and flew up the few feet to punch it in the chestplate, shattering the plate and sending it flying away from her. She immediately opened up her hands throwing starbolts into it's now shattered chest armor. It exploded, still flying away from her initial punch. It was scrap before it hit the ground.

While she flew to confront more training robots and a tank, Slade half watched her while talking on his cell phone. He was making arrangements that would prove to put his apprentice to a real test when they arrived back home. While talking, he saw Starfire get hit by the tank's main cannon with a random shot and she went down hard. He actually stopped talking and got ready to run out on the field when she got up, firing her eye beams at the tank while launching herself off the ground. He yelled some obscenities at her while telling her how she should have been paying attention to the most dangerous threat. Once he saw she was unharmed, even by his best tank, he smiled and calmed down and once again started talking into his phone again. Her inattention, which caused her to be hit also cause her stay at the training field to be extended.

Once Slade felt she was ready, he told her that they were preparing to leave the training field. She made almost no reaction to this statement. He could see her attitude toward him had not changed noticeably. She still seemed nervous around him and wary. Her sense of duty kept her showing any emotion. Even when Slade seemed out of character by telling her that her technique and fighting ability had greatly improved, she only had emotion flicker across her face for a second, before she remembered who had said it, and for what purpose he was probably training her. And with no ceremony, Slade flew them back to the city.


	10. Chapter 10

Brother Blood was watching the news on one of the many televisions he had installed on the wall. One of the Titans had been missing for several months and he had tried to use the Titan's new weakness to his advantage. But had been defeated by Beastboy of all people. They were on the television again, this time asking, once again, if anyone has seen Starfire please contact the tower, Toll Free. The commercial always ran with a picture of the girl on the screen while they talked.

The telephone rang and Blood picked it up.

Blood: "We are the Hive. Hello Mr. Slade how can the Hive be of service. Training? Of course. Against one person I usually send one of my weaker students. Whom are we engaging? Her? That certainly explains the commercials. Yes, commercials. You must not have been paying attention to the television. I have seen her fighting techniques firsthand and will send a student to the address you specify. You want more than one? My best team against one Titan? I think it's overkill, but if it's my best students you want, you will have the best. Send the time and location to my secure email account, and forward twice the usual amount to my usual account. Yes, twice our usual sum, for my best team. Fine, three times, but only if they are victorious against your one Titan. Else my student's time will be free. But rest assured, you can just send the money now."

Brother Blood put down the telephone and pressed a button on the hive-wide communication system. He spoke with a tense voice. "Strike Team Alpha report to my office immediately"

Starfire flew to a warehouse on the edge of the city. This building was extremely old, but extremely well built with the warehouse on top of a vast parking complex. Starfire examined the building for a moment before entering through the roof window, which was open like she had been told it would be. There was a long drop to the open room below. Starfire knew this had to be some kind of a trap, but she couldn't see anyone in the large open room, just a few usual warehouse vehicles and a connex on one side of the large room. The connex was supposed to hold the reason for her trip, she had been ordered to bring the contents of the box (which was not supposed to be illegal) and she was to crush anyone who tried to interfere. She flew down, circled the connex once, upon seeing nothing threatening, she landed in front of the large box to opened it.

Whether it was the fact that she had been expecting a trap, or her recent training was paying off, she had heard a noise behind her and she launched herself out of the path of a blast that came from a large laser fired by Gizmo. Apparently he had mastered some type of camouflage to cover himself and his friends, so she had not noticed them before. Gizmo and Jinx both seemed surprised who their quarry was. "it really is you" Gizmo said and chuckled. Mammoth was with them as usual, but he made no sound, just picked up a forklift which was nearby, and launched it at her while Gizmo yelled "Attack Pattern Alpha".

While Starfire dodged the thrown forklift the trio went into action, Gizmo's wings sprang out and he launched himself to his left, Jinx went to the right while Mammoth ran straight toward Starfire, his arms wide open preparing to try to grab the girl should she get within arms range. Starfire's training kicked in and she let her experience and instinct take over. Without thinking she took flight, charging straight for Mammoth while throwing starbolts at the other two to keep them at bay.

Jink and Gizmo tried returning fire when not dodging her starbolts, but Starfire was more accurate than normal, so it was all they could do just to keep from being struck. Gizmo flew higher trying to get some dodging room and trying to get behind Starfire while Jinx jumped and flipped while being forced farther away from her friends. Mammoth saw Starfire charging directly toward him. He smiled and prepared to try to grab her in a crushing bearhug as she went by, planting his feet so he could jump at her as she tried to fly over his head like she always does.

Starfire never deviated, gaining speed as she charged toward Mammoth. She had stopped throwing starbots for a moment and pulled her arms in as she approached the big man. He had been prepared for a flyby, so he momentarily paused, but he still prepared to grab the girl in a crushing hug. His arms were wide and ready to grab at her. She flew right at Mammoth and at the last moment let out a cry, using all her momentum and strength she swung both her legs forward in a fierce kick, which caught the big man in the chest. Mammoth's shock was evident on his face as he was thrown backward by the attack. Starfire didn't pause though, hitting him with a blast from her eyes, which lifted him farther off the ground and sped up his flight. She then pursued the flying man and gathered speed. Mammoth's flight backward came to at end when he hit one of the main support beams of the building. The entire building shook with the force of the impact. A moment later Mammoth's eye came wide open as Starfire, flying full speed, buried her fist into his chest. He made a loud sound as the air was forced from his lungs, and a crack could be heard. The nearby windows shattered outward and even the steel beam at his back gave from the force of the impact by bending some. Starfire pulled back her hand and Mammoth slid down the beam to his feet, dropped to his knees, and then slumped over onto his side. She turned to face his comrades.

"Mammoth!" Jinx and Gizmo yelled in unison and charged toward Mammoth and Starfire, both firing their projectiles at her. Starfire took off flying an erratic patter to evade their firepower. Gizmo followed her but Jinx could not keep up with their speed. "Gizmo don't split up" she yelled toward him. To Jinx something didn't seem right with this fight, but Gizmo didn't hear her. He wanted to hurt Starfire like she had hurt his friend. He was firing at her from a large laser protruding from the pack that is always on his back. One of his erratic shots actually struck the girl, burning a line across her back as she looped around a pillar. She dropped to the ground while he followed her laughing. She got up looking completely unhurt and fired starbolts at him, striking one of his wings and bringing him to the ground.

Jinx tried to get to where Gizmo was fighting Starfire, but their flight had taken them to the other side of the large building and now there was debris in the way and some holes in the floor leading to the parking lot below.

Gizmo dropped to the ground immediately bringing forth the large metallic legs which made him look like a 4-legged spider. He knew he couldn't outrun her, so he charged toward her with his laser blasting. Starfire sidestepped his shot and ran toward him, hitting one of his legs with a starbolt. As Gizmo toppled toward the damaged leg he saw her get in range of his other legs and stabbed at her with one while he fell.

Starfire grabbed the leg and simply ripped it from his pack. As she tossed it away he swung his laser to fire at her. Another starbolt destroyed it before it could fire. Starfire stepped closer. She gripped Gizmo with one hand and her other hand held onto his backpack. Gizmo went hysterical and shrieked. "NO! Don't do that, It's connected to my…."

With a single motion Starfire ripped the pack from his back. Gizmo screamed as the fibreoptic wiring which connected him to his pack were ripped from his spine and he crumpled to the ground. Starfire crushed the pack and dropped it. She turned and looked at Jinx who had just got close enough to watch what happened.

Jinx watched in shock as Starfire assaulted her friend and rage took over. The instant Starfire stepped away from Gizmo, Jinx went all out. She channeled more energy than she had ever tried, just wanting to hurt this girl like she had hurt her friends while dodging the bolts Starfire fired back at her. She concentrated and found a new power in herself. She threw purple energy toward Starfire while channeling her power toward the nearby ceiling unseen. She flipped and dodged while Starfire flew toward her throwing starbolts. Suddenly when Starfire was near enough, Jinx finished her plan and brought the ceiling from the high, thick roof down. Starfire looked up at the last instant as the roof crashed down creating a huge hole above and making a pile of debris on the floor taller than Jinx.

Jinx stood there breathing heavily and watched the debris for any movement. When it was silent for a second she turned to move toward Gizmo. The floor underneath Jinx exploded upward with green energy, throwing her into the air. As Jinx was thrown upward she sought to regain her balance and control her fall. She saw a starbolt coming at her from the hole Starfire had just made. She couldn't get out of the way so she threw up her arms to try to block it. The starbolt exploded against her, disintegrating cloth and charring skin underneath. The blast stunned Jinx and she flew backward hitting the wall hard and sliding down. Before her feet could touch the ground Starfire held her up with one hand around her neck. Jinx looked at the alien whos eyes glowed dangerously bright and thought to escape. She kicked Starfire and the girl didn't even notice. She channeled her energy into her hands turning them purple. Starfire tightened her grip on Jinx neck and channeled green energy into her other hand, her eyes glowing brighter. With a grip stronger than steel, even if Jinx did blast Starfire away, she would take her along, neck first, probably killing her. Jinx, either from this realization or from fear or lack of oxygen, stopped channeling the power and her hands turned normal and tried to escape by pulling on the arm and hand around her neck.

"Starfire" A voice rang out clearly. Starfire turned her head expectantly around snapping out of her almost trance-like fighting state. The voice wasn't one of her friends though, it was Gizmo. He stood there looking pale and sick, barely able to stand. "Starfire " he said weaker than before "Look, you've won. Please don't hurt her."

Jinx still struggled weakly, but was starting to black out from lack of breathing. Starfire turned back to look at her and their eyes met. She saw the terror in Jinx eyes as they started to tear up.

Slade's voice rang out in her ear: "You've won apprentice, very good. Your training is complete. Come back now."

Starfire placed Jinx feet on the ground let go and stepped back, the glow in her hand and eyes fading. Jinx dropped to her knees coughing as she regained her breath. As Starfire flew off she saw Gizmo help her to her feet, and watched thru the window as they helped Mammoth sit up as he coughed up blood. She flew to a roof where nobody could see. She then took off the headset and wept.


	11. Chapter 11

The Titans Tower had alarms going off, not only had Starfire been spotted, apparently she was fighting. Several phone calls told the Titans she had been seen flying toward a large warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Also they were informed that some members of the Hive were seen converging on her known location. Robin was telling the Titans how quickly they had to assemble and help their friend, but they didn't need to be spoken. They all rushed. In record time they arrived at the scene at the warehouse where a fight was evident. Many of the windows on one side had exploded outward and a large portion of the ceiling was missing.

They gathered near a large double door, which was the only one open. So lead by Robin they went inside. It looked like a major war had been fought inside this building. As they explored some coughing could be heard, so they converged on the noise. They rounded a corner and saw Mammoth sitting on the floor coughing up what looked like blood, with Gizmo leaning on the wall beside him, pale and sweating. Jinx looked like she was trying to comfort her friends, it was her who spotted the Titans.

"Great, it's the rest of the Titans" she said "Leave us alone. Haven't you already done enough?" she looked on the verge of crying

"What do you mean?" Robin replied, remaining calm while inspecting the area and the Hive members.

"Sicking your little alien on us" Jinx yelled at him "Look what she did to my friends" she said motioning at Mammoth and Gizmo. Robin was staring at the red marks on her otherwise pale neck. Jinx saw where he was looking, flushed and covered her neck with her hands, displaying her burned arms.

Cyborg cut in "Do you mean Starfire? Are you saying she did this to you?"

"She was here" Beastboy said transforming back to human from the various animals he had been changing to since they entered "I can still smell her in the air." He transformed into a hawk and started flying around the building.

Raven had flown up to look at the wreckage in the large building better and came back down "This place is empty, I don't see anything that Slade or these guys" she motioned at Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo "could want from here. All they did was destroy an empty warehouse."

Gizmo finally spoke up "It was for training. Brother Blood sent us here to test our skills, he said that we would get twice our monthly salary to kick one Titan's butt."

Robin: "How long did Starfire leave?"

Mammoth had started a coughing fit and Jinx had to hold him upright with some help from Gizmo who looked like he was going through serious withdraw. Beastboy flew down and transformed "From what's left in the air, seems like she flew out that window about 10 minutes ago. I flew outside and caught her scent but the wind is blowing so I couldn't follow it"

"With a 10 minute head start she could be anywhere" Raven said

Jinx cut in "You really didn't know she was here?"

Robin replied sadly "No, we haven't seen her for months. Not since Slade decided to make her an apprentice. We're trying to figure out why. And how. And get her back."

Gizmo laughed weakly "heh, it figures that it would take someone like Slade to make her kick butt. She couldn't do it with you guys holding her back"

Robin face flared with anger for a second and then calmed down "We have to find her" is all he said. Raven was looking at Jinx who had clenched her fists and said with anger "It was Slade who did this."

Mammoth had stopped coughing and tried standing up by leaning against the wall. He breathed in and out slowly and occasionally coughing up blood. He had tried to speak once during the exchange with the Titans, but had a coughing fit instead.

Cyborg pushed some buttons on the communicator on his arm and looked at Jinx "Your teacher sending you guys some help or do you need me to get you a ride?"

Jinx sighed and looked at the floor "After we told Brother Blood we lost against a single Titan he got really mad and called us failures. He said not to come back."

Beastboy looked concerned "Maybe we should get these guys to a hospital" he said. Robin agreed with him and Cyborg did some typing on his arm. After he told the operator the address closed the panel and joined the other Titans who had already started to spread out and look for any clue that may lead to Starfire's whereabouts. Minutes later an ambulance arrived and they took the three hive members away.

Cyborg and Beastboy had been using various types of devices / forms to investigate for any clues. They could find nothing that would say where Starfire may have went. Raven was floating around outside the building looking for clues and Beastboy had taken the form of an eagle, who's sense of smell was very good. But with all the smog and exhaust it was hard to follow a scent trail. Robin saw a connex on one side of the building which was untouched by the fight. He walked up and saw a simple padlock on it which he easily picked. Inside it was empty except for a small cup with one of the mechanical devices the Titans had spread around all of Slade's bases.

Robin picked it up and opened his communicator. " I have a clue" he said. And the other titans joined him in the connex. Cyborg picked up the device and looked at it. "It's one of mine all right, I can figure out where it was deployed by taking it back to Titans HQ and examining it."

Raven cut in "You do know this is a trap."

Robin nodded "Yeah. I know. But we have no choice."


	12. Chapter 12

Starfire arrived back at the base after she had regained her composure and acted like nothing had happened. Slade of course knew she had cried and allowed her that luxury. He had known she would return and knew this was part of her adjusting to her new life. Once inside Slade inspected the girl and saw the laser burn across her back. It had even broken her skin and bled some. He ordered the girl to remove her shirt and lay on a table. When she had done so he sprayed some kind of medication on her making her wince, and put a bandage across the wound. He told her to lay still for half an hour while she healed. He handed her torn garment to a nearby servant robot telling it to repair the garment and wash it. He could not have his apprentice running around in disrepair. Once he saw everything was in order he told Starfire to rest after she received her garment from the droid and he left. Slade had a lot of preparations to make and not much time.

Starfire laid there alone lost in thought, it was only when the robot offered her back her shirt did she notice she had been there over an hour. She put the shirt on and went to her room and showered. She took the bandage off her back and looking thru a mirror saw there was no apparent damage anymore. She tried to rest afterwards, but could not. Starfire finally got up and started exploring her new home.

Hours later a proximity alarm went off in the base. Someone was outside. This alarm gave him only a few minutes to prepare for those who were incoming. Slade knew who it was and hit the intercom button. "Apprentice, report to the command room".

Starfire arrived momentarily and Slade started talking "the proximity alarm has went off, apprentice. Unwelcome guests are here and I want you to escort them off of my property."

Starfire looked at one of the monitors Slade was looking at. She saw who it was. "You cannot make me harm my friends" she said this flatly. Slade looked at her, she left no room for argument. What she said was a fact, as sure as the color of her eyes.

Slade responded "I do not want you to fight the Titans, child. I want you to escort them off my property. You know there are no weapons on this base. You know I have been spending my time training you. The titans are here for one reason alone, apprentice. They are here because of you. So you must convince them to leave."

Starfire once again saw the truth in his words. She knew the Titans were only there because of her, which only added to her guilt. She looked down and could only nod.

Slade continues "If they choose to leave, then they can go. But if you cannot convince the Titans to leave peacefully, then it is their choice. Not mine."

Starfire nodded again Slade was right, he was not asking her to fight her friends, but protecting himself, which he could do. She went toward the main doors while convincing herself that she would find a way to make her friends leave without a fight.


	13. Chapter 13

The Titans had spent a few minutes scouting around the huge building Slade used as this base. It was, like many of his bases, just outside the City, past the suburb area. The area was in a less populated area and was mostly forest. The building looked to be an old brick type building, which had been reinforced. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. It made a great base or hideout.

They remembered bugging this base, along with many others. And coming back when the surveillance equipment mysteriously quit working. And again. Then finally giving up on keeping a tap on all his bases. But they had explored this, and all his bases, very thoroughly. They knew these walls were reinforced with steel on the inside. The best route inside was the front doors.

Cyborg was scanning the building with a device while Beastboy sniffed the air in one of his animal forms. They stood back from the doors and Raven used her power to open them. Robin spoke up "Be ready for anything. This is Slade here so expect a trap" Cyborg grabbed a controller and using it directed the robot duplicate of himself inside. Whatever the robot saw was transmitted to the screen on the remote. The Titans jumped when they saw Starfire on the screen. Even Robin forgot his own words of warning as they all ran toward their friend. Starfire approached the robot as they ran inside.

When they ran inside they saw Starfire looking at the robot with her familiar look of wonder while knocking on its metal head. She turned to see her friends run thru the doors toward her.

Starfire was ecstatic too see them "My Friends, I am so happy to see you all" she ran forward hugging them, which brought smiles from them all.

Robin was the next to speak, noting her slightly more muscular frame, the fact she was wearing Blackfire's outfit and a headset with a microphone "We're happy to see you too, Starfire. You're looking well"

Starfire paused and spoke slightly quieter "Yes, I have been well physically, but missed you all very much"

Beastboy had latched onto Starfire's arm and even Raven was smiling a little. Most of the Titans at this point cared little that they were in Slade's base, or even what he was doing. They were happy to have their friend back. Cyborg spoke up "And we missed you too, lets get out of here and get you home" the words were spoken with the best intentions, but cut Starfire deep. She spoke up again "Yes, please. Go back to the tower, order pizza and the soft drink. But, I cannot go with you."

Robin spoke up with his usual seriousness "And we can't leave. Not with Slade on the loose. We need to take him down"

Starfire replied "Slade has spent most of his time with me and has no plan doing harm. There are no weapons at this base. You can go search all the rest of his bases if you like, but you have no reason to be here. Please leave."

Robin looked at her intently and took her hand. "I can think of a million reasons to be here" the others nodded to agree.

Starfire heard Slade's truth in Robin's words and disengaged her hand from Robin's, backing away from him a step, walking into Raven who uncharacteristically put one arm around Starfire and pointed at the half open door they had rushed in earlier. The doors flew outward off their hinges and Raven looked into her eyes seeing the chaos that was starting there. "Please Starfire, lets just leave this place" she said this half to Starfire, half to the Titans.

Starfire's thoughts were racing. Trying to find the perfect words to stop what seemed to be inevitable. Her friends were only here because of her, so she had to make them leave. Beastboy was making his cute puppydog face at her and Cyborg and Raven were leading her to the door, but Slade's words were like a poison in her blood that wouldn't go away. She couldn't leave, even if it would be the easiest thing in the world to do. She had almost been led out the doors by the others when she noticed Robin.

Robin had stayed behind as the others tried to lead Starfire out, he was moving toward the elevator that lead downward. To the main base and their living quarters. Starfire couldn't let him reach it. Starfire called his name "Robin" but he paid her no heed, he was intent on reaching Slade. As Robin neared the elevator door Starfire disengaged herself from her friends and with a flying leap she flew a put herself between Robin and the elevator.

Robin faced her "Slade's down there. Isn't he?"

Starfire pleaded with him "Please, Robin. Just go"

Robin looked her in the eyes his hands clenched "You know I can't leave without taking Slade down"

Starfire couldn't bring herself to look at her friends when she said the hardest words she ever spoke "You know I can't let you. So please just leave."

"Why" Raven shouted at her "Why are you protecting him?"

"And why are you wearing Blackfire's shirt?" Beastboy yelled at her.

Starfire's voice cracked a little while she spoke "I can't explain right now, but I have to do as Slade says. Please go."

Cyborg : "I don't know what Slade's using to control you, but you don't have to do this. If he's got some virus on us again you don't have to do this to protect us."

Robin : "I can't leave you here under Slade's control Starfire. I can't leave Slade here so he can attack the city. He has to go down"

Starfire was quickly losing what little control she had on the situation and was past desperate. She just didn't want to hurt her friends like she had so recently done to Mammoth, Gizmo and Jinx. "Slade wont hurt anyone. I won't let him. But please, you have to trust me. Please go"

Robin replied darkly "I'm sorry Starfire, but I can't take that chance" and he quickly pulled out his staff, extended it to push the elevator button, and then used it to flip over her head in a quick maneuver expecting to take her off guard. He was shocked when she grabbed his ankle when he was mid flip and tossed him toward Cyborg who caught him and set him down unharmed. His action had caused her reflex and now the dye was cast.

"Titans, immobilize Starfire so we can take Slade down" Robin ordered. The Titans moved into action. They had been preparing for this unfortunate event as well.

Cyborg moved out front of the others, transforming his arm while the other titans quickly slipped something in their ears. Starfire prepared to dodge his cannon blasts. "I'm sorry Star" is all Cyborg said as he opened fire. There was no blast though. He had modified his cannon arm to emit sonic disruption in a wave, basically hitting everything in front of him with the loud sonic disruption. Glass shattered, smaller objects flew away from him and Starfire dropped to one knee almost passing out. The pain was enormous, but she didn't give in. As the Titans behind Cyborg held their hands over their ears (the sound behind him was terrible, even with earplugs. Cyborg had turned off his hearing, so was not affected. Starfire on the other hand was taking the brunt of it, she got back to her feet and forced herself to walk toward the source of her pain. Cyborg almost turned off the cannon when he saw her coming, with tears in her eyes and blood coming out of her ears. She gained speed as she walked then ran toward Cyborg who had turned the cannon up to maximum. The other Titans were feeling pain from the cannon and were effectively nullified. Cyborg knew he didn't want her hitting his arm in cannon form, it was too delicate an instrument in that form. At the last second as she reached him, he transformed his cannon back to arm form and hoped to hit her with a knockout blow while she was still disoriented from the sonic disruption. As he punched, he grabbed his arm, flipped past him, and with a turn of her hip she threw him out the doors. hard. He skipped aacross the ground a couple times before stopping in a nearby stream.

Starfire dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. With her ears ringing she couldn't hear Robin's next orders. Starfire's world went dark as she was encased in a black sphere summoned forth by Raven. She was slow to stand up, still a little dizzy from Cyborg's attack. Her breathing turned into a powerful exhale as Raven forcefully sucked all the air out of the sphere to make her pass out. This kind of attack, however, will not work on someone who safely transverses the stars through the vacuum of space. Starfire pressed her hands against one side of the sphere. Raven saw her attack had been ineffective and held out her open hand, palm up. She made a fist and instantly her sphere turned into a cocoon, trapping Starfire inside. The cocoon held for a few seconds then suddenly exploded outward with green energy releasing a backlash, which threw Raven backward.

Starfire got up hurt and disoriented. She was now fighting mostly on instinct, she launched herself at Raven who immediately threw a shield around herself. Starfire's eye beam hit the shield hard. Raven planted her feet holding her arms outward, palms out. She strained with the effort of holding the shield up. When Starfire's fist impacted on the shield it gave and Raven was thrown backward taking the backlash, which was nearly as bad as if she got hit. Raven landed hard against a soft surface (thankfully) and was set down. Starfire, too disoriented to fly, ran toward Raven and Beastboy intervened. He had saw Raven flying backward and transformed, first to a hummingbird to get behind Raven, then to a bear to absorb her impact (the fat on a bear can be fairly soft) and then saw Starfire charging. He transformed to a tyrannosaurus rex and charged toward her roaring. Starfire's path never deviated, and as Beastboy's huge jaws came snapping down at her (he had intended to trap her between those powerful jaws. (He had transformed to a dinosaur with dull teeth. He can do that). Starfire avoided his jaws by ducking low, then she came up under him with an uppercut with enough power to launch her into the air and even knock out a huge dinosaur. Which is exactly what it did. She hit him square under his huge jaws and the dinosaur flew upward and backward, and Beastboy landed a second later with stars in his eyes mumbling jibberish.

Starfire landed and before she could stand was hit in the back with a device from Robin. Her eyes opened wide as electricity surged from the device through her body. Her hair stood out, small sparks of lightning passed between her fingers and shot from her body to the floor and anything else nearby. She dropped to her knee again as the device ran out of power. As she stood back up another disc hit her and she cried out. This time small bits of smoke came from her as the device wore off and she launched herself up, narrowly avoiding being hit again. She landed in front of Robin who now had his trademark staff in his hands. He knew she was not using her starbolts and eyebeams in an attempt to not hurt the Titans, so he planned to use this to his advantage. She couldn't hope match him in hand-to-hand. He immediately attacked her with his staff, hoping to knock her out. She blocked his strikes at her head with her bare arms while taking some blows to her body. He came in with a roundhouse kick followed by a ferocious staff strike. She took the kick, but before the staff could strike she caught it with one hand. The sudden stop to his attack momentarily stunned Robin and Starfire ripped with staff from him with such force that stung his hands and left his fingers numb.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" he heard her whisper as she grasped the end of his staff with her other hand. Then his unbreakable titanium staff screamed and shredded as she bent and then broke it with an ease which would scare even Slade, who was watching the fight unseen. Robin stepped back startled then got a fighting stance as she dropped the staff and looked at him. As Cyborg ran in the doors, and Raven and Beastboy both came up behind him, Robin's eyes met Starfire's. Time slowed for as he gazed deep into her eyes and he could almost see…

"Titans, fall back" he ordered loudly.

"WHAT?" was the reply from the others. So Robin repeated his order "Fall back, we're leaving." With that he turned his back to Starfire, and walked out. The other Titans were stunned, but they followed him. Some small part of Starfire died as she watched her friends leave.

Slade's voice sounded in her ear, snapping her back to her reality. "Well done, apprentice. Well done. Report to the medical bay." She hung her head down and sighed. And pressed the button to summon the elevator down to the main base.


	14. Chapter 14

During the ride back to the Titans Tower silence had reigned in the T-Jet. Once back to the tower, though, chaos emerged.

"How could you order us to leave Starfire with that madman?" Cyborg was yelling at Robin to start the conversation.

Even Beastboy was upset "I can't believe we left Star behind."

Raven, though silent, had been making her anger evident. Cyborg and Beastboy yelling at Robin was making enough noise for her.

Robin was taking their yelling with displeasure, he was obviously angry about the situation also, but had not had a chance to explain himself yet. He tried to calm his friends. "Guys calm down"

Cyborg "Calm? How can you be calm? Starfire is working for Slade now, and you told us to leave her there."

Beastboy's voice rose up: "She didn't want to be there, that much was obvious. She didn't even use her starbolts against us. Why did we just leave her there?"

Robin: "I'm sure she has a reason for staying with him. She will be ok"

Cyborg "You're right she'll be ok. I'm going to grab some weapons, get in the T-Jet and go back right now…"

Beastboy "Yeah, I'm with you, I am sure we can take them by surprise and get past Starfire this time. Once we have Slade…"

Robin cut in "We forced that conflict. All she had wanted was for us to leave. She didn't want to fight us."

Cyborg was continuing: "I have some untested weapons that are suited for this, we can hit them hard and fast."

Beastboy "Give me some big guns, I can carry a lot as a gorilla…"

Raven, though silent, was listening to their plan about to join them while Cyborg nodded at her saying "If Robin doesn't want us to free Starfire we will do it without him.."

Robin's yell finally silenced them "TITANS" he yelled "WHERE DOES STARFIRE GET HER POWER?"

Cyborg replied what they all knew "from her emotions" realization starting to dawn on him.

Raven finally spoke, though softly. "She must have been a raging storm of emotion."

Beastboy mumbled "She couldn't lose."

Robin: "and Slade knew it. We had no choice but to leave." He started walking toward the stairwell that leads off the roof "come on guys. We need to get ready. We have to stop him before they leave."

Beastboy: "Leave? Where are they going? And how would we know?"

Robin: "If you had Starfire as an apprentice, what would you do?"

Beastboy: "umm.. take over the city? She did just kick our butts.."

Raven cut him off "I'd go to Tamaran"

Cyborg finished her sentence "So I could rule it"

The picture of Slade leading a vast army of Tamaranians against the Earth flashed in their heads. The Titans were no longer just trying to save their friend, but the Earth as well.

Robin: "We also need to find out what Slade is holding over Starfire. I think it has something to do with her sister, which is why she was wearing her shirt."

Raven: "I think I know where to look for those answers"

Robin: "Good, that may be our only chance of getting Starfire back, but Cyborg, we need to work out a plan to disable whatever ship Slade makes just in case. Keep in mind it's a long trip to Tamaran and Starfire will survive if their ship is compromised, but Slade wont"

Cyborg knew the gravity of the situation "Yeah, I can make some weapons for just that sort of thing."

Beastboy: "I can help Cyborg. Lifting heavy objects is my forte, along with connecting wires in tight spaces"

Cyborg: "yeah, that sounds helpful, as long as you don't put anymore viruses in my mainframe!" this made Beastboy blush and scratch his head

Beastboy grinned: "That was an accident, heh." But he got serious again " But, do you think Starfire would really let Slade control Tamaran?"

Robin replied sounding worried "No, I don't think she will. And that worries me the most."


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry, work was busy last few weeks.

I dont own anyting or anyone, dont sue me. Teen Titans is on Cartoon network and in DC Comics.

Slade waited patiently in the medical bay for his apprentice to arrive. He actually had to exert some effort to control his excitement. This apprentice had more than exceeded his expectations. She had defeated the Titans single-handedly, even holding back. Slade had been disappointed when Robin told the Titans to retreat, but it came as no surprise. Robin knew Starfire well, and had to know where the battle was leading. Slade had knew from the outset that Starfire would exert every effort not to hurt her friends. But Slade also knew that the longer the fight carried on, the more she would have become lost in it. And with her power increasing because of the emotional conflict within herself, who knows? But their departure also suited his plans. This way he could still make Robin his apprentice after he returned from Tamaran. With the girl on his side, Robin will turn much easier.

Slade got impatient. It had been several minutes and she should have been here by now. He started looking on his security monitors and found she was still in the elevator, laying on the floor. He actually ran out to the elevator and pushed the button to open the doors. Starfire lay with blood on her clothing and the floor. Not all of it was from her ears. He bent down and checked her breathing, which was steady, but she didn't respond to his shakes. With a look of concern he picked her up and hurried her to the medical bay. Once she was laying on the table he went to a desk with a phone. He pushed the red button. There was a pause as the phone rang and a man's voice spoke up. "How can I help you Slade?"

"Dr. Howard I need you to come immediately. I think double your normal price will cover your inconvenience. Bring your burns kit also. I am at location 5, a half mile down Walbar Street. See you in 10 minutes." Slade then hung up and uncovered the girls' wounds. He reluctantly let the medical robot attend Starfire as best they could. He had bought the thing for minor medical treatments, but for anything serious his apprentice was only getting human help. And for her, Slade would only get the best. He had invested too much in her. That doctor better hurry.

Doctor Howard showed up in 9 minutes, 37 seconds. He was buzzed in the door and knew the way down. He had been here before when Slade had lost to the Titans. The Doctor had once been a noteworthy general practitioner, and a skilled surgeon. But one fraudulent lawsuit had brought him down. No longer able to afford the medical insurance he now deals with clientele who will not sue him for frivolous reasons. Clients who will not go to the law should things go badly. Clients like Slade. He was startled to see that it was not Slade whom he was attending, but a little girl. This was missing girl the Titans have been looking for (who can forget all the commercials?). After a quick examination her diagnosis was severe electrical burns, severe ear damage from unknown cause and 2 broken ribs and bruising. Seeing the young girl with such injuries he glared at Slade for a moment, then remembered his place and got to work healing the her injuries. Slade didn't say a word, but never left her side.

Starfire slept for over 18 hours, and when she awoke Slade's face was the first thing she saw. She tried to sit up but he pushed her back down and held a note to her. "There is a gel in your ears to promote healing. Do not remove the earplugs. There are bandages with a similar gel on your ribs and back. Do not remove them. The doctor said it will take a week for you to heal properly. Stay in this room until I send for you, I have errands I need to accomplish while you recover." She read the note and nodded to him. He got up and left. It was then she noticed another factor screaming for her attention. She sat up, winced at the pain, then ran to the bathroom.

Slade had begun spending most of his time preparing for his and Starfire's departure from the planet. There was much planning to make when one prepares to take over the world. Especially when you won't be on the planet while the majority of your plans are being carried out. He had factories building an army of androids who would need tested and programmed. He was forced to make allies with those who could accomplish this. He also had to appease anyone who may threaten his plans during his absence or any who had sufficient power to warrant special consideration. Between himself and his allies, Slade planned on having sufficient forces to conquer the Earth already awaiting on this planet for his return from Tamaran. His arrival back on Earth with the Tamaranian army he planned to bring would trigger the fight for control of the world. Slade smiled. The battle would be glorious. Unfortunately it forced him to spend his last few days on Earth traveling, leaving his apprentice alone to heal. He would prepare her food in the morning and leave enough for the day on a tray in her room.

Starfire spent the first day alone in her room. Slade had left DVDs on military training on a shelf in her room, along with some DVDs on older earth military conquests. He also had gotten a small video collection, apparently all for her, as they were all still in the plastic. It was a small stack with anything from humor to horror to anime. It would seem he had walked into a store and picked random videos out hoping he would get some she liked. Or more likely had told someone else to do it.

Starfire's day of healing had given her a lot of time for reflection. The DVDs interested her little, so she spent her time remembering all the stories from her childhood and of those heroes from Tamaranian legend. She remembered the statues of the great men and women who died with honor protecting Tamaran. She remembered the days spent with Galfore while he regaled the legends she had grown to love. She had swore to him that she would be like them some day. Her thoughts would then drift back to the present. She would think about her current situation. Slade was her master now. She could remember so many stories of good people forced to serve evil ones, and knew where it led. She had not been able to prevent Slade from orchestrating her fight with her friends, even though she had to pay a price for holding back, she had won. Her victory was not the fact that she won the fight, but that her friends had left unharmed. She basked in the warmth of that victory. Her friends where safe, but Slade was still planning, she overheard him ordering supplies for their journey. She had seen his space ship and had even asked him why he had it, he told her that he planned on taking her back to her homeworld to train. Starfire guessed what Slade was planning. She had no illusions why Slade would want to journey to Tamaran. She decided she needed a plan.

The next morning after Slade left her food for the day, she decided to leave her room. She first searched the base for Slade and he was nowhere to be found. So she explored the base a bit. The first thing she discovered was that the damage that had been caused by her conflict with her friends had been repaired. Also, it seemed that the security and maintenance robots had been programmed to know she was not an enemy. So she was completely ignored by them. Eventually she came across the vehicle and armory area. By the time Slade had made it back that evening from a meeting with whichever villains he was dealing with today Starfire was safely back in her room.


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry, work was busy last few weeks.

I dont own anyting or anyone, dont sue me. Teen Titans is on Cartoon network and in DC Comics.

The Titans had been very busy, Raven and Robin spent the hours pouring thru every single book Starfire had brought from her homeworld. By the third day Robin had to take a break to patrol the city. The long hours of reading had finally gotten to him. Cyborg and Beastboy went with him to stop a minor villain who was holding a bank hostage.

When they came back Raven had some news for them. "Keeping in mind that Tamarian people think differently than humans" she began "They let their emotions govern their actions a lot more than logic. Most human laws are reflected on Tamaran but worded differently. Also, I found a lot of their laws derive from customs that date back thousands of years. I believe I found what Slade is using to control Starfire." She now had their complete attention, so she continued "There is an ancient custom called Allekk Kzzahash or Life Debt. A basic translation would mean if your life is spared by another than you owe it to them. This seems to be based on primitive tribal laws which evolved from generation to generation. The person cannot be affiliated to you, family, friends, neighbors, relatives all are expected to come to your aid if needed are exempt, but this law was a basis for different villages and cultures to come to the aid of those they do not even know, even if they have no reason. It helped bring the warring tribes together and the repayment of these debts were usually ceremonial. But it could be anything from planting crops to watching your children while you hunt or go to war. But, if someone owes a life debt and cannot or will not repay this debt then they are shunned as a coward and a member of your family must step forward in your stead and repay it. If the family refuses to repay this debt they are shunned and the family name is discrased. The shirt Starfire wears symbolizes that she is serving such a debt not as herself, but as her sister Blackfire."

Beastboy spoke up "So, to even out this debt, all Starfire has to do is save Slade's life?"

Raven replied " No, it's not that simple. She has to do Slade's will, even if it involves saving his life once or a hundred times. Her debt is not repaid by returning the favor because she is only doing what is expected of her."

Cyborg was confused "So, all Slade had to do is set up an ambush for a tamaranian, then save them from the danger to have a servant for life?"

Raven shook her head "It isn't that simple. Like I said Tamarians are a lot more emotional, they wouldn't think like that. The savior can't be connected in any way to the person who is saved. Comrades in battle, family, neighbors, friends don't count. With all of Tamaran united under the throne, everyone is supposed to aid their countrymen and women, so they would all be exempt, which explains why this law is almost never used or referred to. Also, whatever Slade saved Blackfire from, he can't have set it up in any way or it is also nullified and Starfire is freed."

Robin spoke up "Good work Raven. Have you read anything about how to get Starfire to out from under this debt?"

Raven's look turned darker "I remember Starfire telling me a few stories about this sort of thing. She seemed to like this kind of history. Also, I read about some of the heroes and heroins from their folklore who were put in a similar situation, owing their lives to villains. In almost every case the hero dies."

Robin said almost silently remembering his time with Slade. "Slade would never harm his apprentice"

Raven continued with a slight nervousness in her voice "They died by their own hand, Robin, in almost every case. It was always for some glorious reason or another, but basically they would die killing the villain or they would kill the villain and then kill themselves to appease the debt they owed. And the reason that was most prevalent was that it was for the good of Tamaran" the last part reflecting what Starfire had said on the day she fought her sister.

The Titans looked concerned. They often heard Starfire talking about her homeworld, but it seemed so alien to them that they never paid much attention. They now regretted their lack of attention to their friend. Cyborg spoke up "You said almost every case?"

Raven shook her head "Think of it like American folklore, the cowboy always ended up rescuing the damsel in distress, and the villain always wound up dead. Not all Westerns have that ending, but the stories that end differently nobody remembers. Tamaranians are more connected to the emotional sacrifices. Had the hero lived, he did not pay a price for his victory. There are a few examples of Tamaranians surviving their ordeals, but that is mostly through cowardice. There are facts that link many of the stories to historic reference. One of them is a story about an Emperor whose life was saved by an alien who invoked a life debt on him for a simple, ceremonial task. The emperor refused to be controlled and led a great army to attack and kill the one to whom he owed his life. The resulting conflict nearly resulted in a galactic war against Tamaran. The emperor brought Tamaran great shame. His name was Troq."

Cyborg remembered the time he had used that name. He spoke up "So, basically, Star believes if she doesn't do as Slade says she will disgrace herself and all of Tamaran for hundreds of years?"

Raven shrugged "It's happened before."


	17. Chapter 17

That night Starfire had the same recurring dream. The dream was of her homeworld. Tamaran. Not as the way she knew it, but as a wasteland. Barren of life. Destroyed by the armies of a galaxy combined to stop the dreams of a madman. Destroyed because of one man's ambition. Destroyed by the weakness of the one person who should have protected it. The Earth came into view, only it was not as it was now. It was also barren. A vast wasteland of death brought upon it because of the part it played in one man's plan to control all things sentient. Her friends came into the dream, as ghosts. Standing in the destroyed Titan's Tower near the skeletons that must be their remains. They looked at her, but on their faces was not a look of anger. Or disappointment. The long dead ghosts looked at her with the look of Hope and spoke "You can save us Starfire". Starfire woke with a start. She was covered with sweat remembering the dream. "That will not come to pass." she said to herself.

After Slade left once again Starfire got up. She suspected Slade had been drugging her food to promote her sleeping during his absence, so she had been going without eating. Her ears and back felt much better. She suspected that Slade and the doctor had made their estimates of her recovery compared to a human. For Tamaranians fighting was a common thing, so their bodies recovered quickly. She left the bandage and earplugs in place though, so Slade would not speed up his plans, as she needed time to think.

Starfire spent the following day in the hangar and the armory again. She was not a technical genius like Cyborg, but she had learned many things while being held captive in the events leading to her time on Earth (and joining the Titans). Plus, all the time she had spent watching Cyborg build things had not been wasted. Starfire, if anything, was an attentive watcher and listener. Once Cyborg even pulled her aside and showed her how to fix the T-Ship. She was the only Titan who could survive in the vacuum of space, so training her how to fix the ship seemed only natural and could possibly save their lives. Cyborg had also showed her how to arm and reload the ship's weapon systems in case the automatic missile launchers jam (he had installed more weapons in the ship after their several trips to space). Plus she had learned how to deactivate space mines after her encounter with them while the Titans worked with Val-Yor. Starfire saw the clear outlines of the Titan's ship in the one Slade now owned, it was obviously designed from one the older versions, long before Cyborg had made most of the modifications to the current model the Titans used.

At first Starfire thought about trying to disable the ship Slade would use to travel to her homeworld, but she knew that it would be fixed quickly, and that her tampering would be evident. She went inside the ship to examine it. Inside was mostly storage space, it takes a lot of supplies to travel in the vastness of space. She examined the cockpit, the instrument panels looked similar to Cyborg's design. She sat in one of the seats for a moment, it was well designed, intending to keep an occupant comfortable for long periods of time at high gravities, with double seatbelts (chris-crossing across the chest) to keep the occupant safely in place. She sat for a moment looking around the small compartment. In the back of the cockpit compartment fastened to the wall was a pair of space suits. They were secured to the wall with several straps, unmoved by even the worst turbulence. She shook them slightly and they didn't move. She noticed that he had even prepared a suit for her (probably out of instinct since all humans needed one). She felt the material on the suit. Such a flimsy material to depend on to save a human life in the vacuum of space, and neither of the suits had any apparent means of propulsion. The occupant was intended to just float in space or use the magnetic feet to walk on the surface of the ship. There were rocket boosters that could be attached to the suits, but they were stored in a compartment over where the suits were. Starfire left the ship and then hanger area. She had seen all she needed to see.

Slade was having another long day. This time he was at one of the manufacturing plants that made the robots he so often used for security and his offensive operations. After watching these robots get destroyed with single hits time and again he had decided to take a personal hand in their design and testing. He did not want his conquest plans slowed by inferior design in his support troops. It had taken him all day, but he finally got the design improved and the factory refitted. He returned to the base where he kept Starfire. He took the elevator down to the control room and looked at his screens. Starfire was in her room lying on her bed. She was not asleep, but neither was the television or radio on, or any other kind of entertainment. She was apparently content to stare at the ceiling. Slade reviewed the memory of some of the cameras he had in various locations within the base. After a few moments he saw his apprentice had spent the day exploring various locations of the base. He then spent the next hour watching as she went around the base, down to the hanger and even inside the ship. But, he saw that she did no harm, so all that interested him was the fact that she was apparently well. Their departure could be moved up. He glanced up, she was still awake so he went to her room and knocked quietly. When she answered, he opened the door and spoke to her: "Pack whatever personals you need in one bag, we are leaving tomorrow afternoon" he closed the door to the surprised look on her face. He went to his sleeping quarters after that, this had, after all, been a very long day. Slade had to rest up for tomorrow he had a lot to accomplish before lunch, for his afternoon would not be spent on earth.

Starfire waited a few hours after Slade had gave her the information. She had been laying there since coming back from the hanger. She had been lost in thought once again, remembering the legends from her childhood. Remembering the stories, the statues, the pride in Galfore's voice as he told her about how real heroes acted. The love a hero has for his people, the courage a hero has in the face of his enemy. The sacrifices a hero is prepared to make, to save those they love. She thought of her friends, and she did love them. The Teen Titans. They had rescued her and brought her into their home when she was a stranger. She owed them so much. She was ready to repay her debt to her friends in any way she could. She would repay her debt to Slade as well. Slade telling her about their early departure left her with few options and little time. She would be panicked if she hadn't heard the weariness in Slade's voice when told her. So, she had waited for Slade to fall asleep before she acted. Even with his advanced constitution he was only human. Even Slade needed to sleep. She went to the control room and inspected the screens confirming Slade was nowhere on the base where a camera covers (of course there was no cameras in his room). With haste she ran to the armory and after a little searching found what she needed. She had spied it the other day while touring the base. She had hoped to come up with a better plan, but this device would have to do. With little effort she pried the outer shell apart and pulled out the guts. With a little effort she got the core of the device to fit into her bag. She then put the shell back together so it would not look tampered with. She carried her bag toward the ship, it was heavy though, and so was her heart. "This should cover my debt to Slade" she though somberly and she took it to the ship, placing it in the locker inside the ship that had been assigned as hers.

Starfire then went back to the control room. She knew about the security cameras, even the one in her room (Slade had not put on in the bathroom or the area near her closet where she would probably change. Just covering her sleeping area, which could be seen as a security precaution or to ensure she was safe). Starfire was not an expert with computers, but being raised on a technologically advanced planet (compared to the Earth) meant she had used computers like a human student used books in school. Also, her time with the Titans had taught her a lot about how security systems worked. With a little trial and error she found where the cameras stored their video. She erased the last hour of work she had done in the armory and hangar, and after she cut and paste, it seemed as if she had never left her room. The video was not perfect, seemed to skip a few times, and the clock was off, but she hoped Slade would be too busy tomorrow to inspect the security data too closely. Starfire then went back to her room. She could sleep now that she knew her friends, and even Tamaran itself would be safe.

(Rewind to the morning of the same day again)

Cyborg was ecstatic. He had spent all night working and his work had finally paid off. It was on days like this when he was glad he was only half human, he could brush off sleep and he was not physically affected like his teammates. He has spent the entire night trying to reactivate any of the spy devices he had left in Slade's current base. They had all been systematically tracked down and disabled, but Cyborg's final phases of bugs were built with many more backup systems than before. To make these new bugs he had resorted to alien technologies. Some of this technology came from a few items Starfire had kept in her room to communicate with her homeworld. Of these new types, five had been placed in the base Slade was currently at. Of these, he had only been able to get any type of signal from two. He slowly tried to coax them back to live after weeks of inactivity. Spent hours typing into his keyboard furiously, and eventually hooking up himself to the computer directly to hasten the process. One of the bugs died outright after he tried to get it to reboot. The other accepted his command weakly and with some hesitation restarted. The first image he got from it was of the monitors of the security center. He couldn't believe his luck. With this the Titans could monitor his entire base. Cyborg remembered placing this one himself and smiled. It's coloring exactly matched the wall it was on, and it's frequency was one meant for deep space communication (meaning it was not on any frequency humans used, and almost certainly wouldn't be detected).

He had called in the other Titans and they all were thrilled to be able to see Starfire, even remotely. They took turns monitoring her while continuing to try and find a way to free her. If they can't do that, at least prevent their departure to her homeworld or prevent Slade from reaching it.

Raven, meanwhile, was still immersed in the literature from Starfire's room. She had been forced to learn some basics of the Tamaran language in order to translate many of the text, but now she could read more of the books. She believed somewhere in these many books she could find the key releasing their friend, but it was getting hard to be confident when she was looking for what seemed like a needle in a field of haystacks. When Robin came in she was reading one of the books that looked like it was meant for a young reader. When asked, Raven explained that many of the strongest beliefs a person has is instilled on them at a very young age. Robin silently agreed and left her to her reading.

Cyborg had Beastboy helping him build a new type of drilling projectile meant specifically for boring holes into the hull of a ship without causing any damage to the ship itself. The device was so complex that you had to install all the components after you built the shell, which is why Beastboy was needed to crawl inside with the parts and assemble them inside. Cyborg was giving him detailed instructions through a camera and making specialized tools.

Robin was kept an eye on Starfire. He watched her explore the base thru the monitors in the security room. Robin panicked when Slade told Starfire about their early departure. He immediately called the Titans to a meeting. It was crunch time. One way or another they had to stop this departure. By the time the meeting was over and Robin returned to his post watching Starfire she was exploring the base. He watched as she went down to the hangar and explored the ship. When she went to the armory he called Cyborg over.

"Cyborg, what is she doing?" Robin asked

"It looks like she's tampering with an anti-matter space mine"

"Is that dangerous?"

"Nah. "Cyborg replied "Anti-matter is so dangerous there are a lot of fail safes built in. One of them is, no anti-matter device will detonate while in any type of atmosphere. No matter how thin the air. This is to prevent accidental genocide or the destruction of spaceships"

"You think she knows about those safeguards?"

"Sure, I was showing her more effective ways to disarm mines after Val-Yor, she caught right on."

"So why is she putting it inside a locker inside the ship? Wouldn't it be harmless unless it was outside the ship in the vacuum of space?" Robin asked

"Yeah, unless you could bring the vacuum inside the ship." Cyborg said half jokingly. Then stopped. Robin was staring at him.

"We can't let them leave the atmosphere" Robin said.


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry, work was busy last few weeks.

I dont own anyting or anyone, dont sue me. Teen Titans is on Cartoon network and in DC Comics.

The following morning the Titans prepared their final assault against Slade. Robin double checked his utility belt and even had a utility vest with more items. He has put every trick he had together for this. He went down to see Cyborg doing last minute checks on the T-Jet and the T-car. With Beastboy's help they had packed every type of non-lethal weapon they had. Cyborg and Beastboy (in gorilla form) was packing large cannon-looking weapons when Raven came down. All she had was a large book in both hands.

"Need help with that, Raven?" Robin asked while Cyborg and Beastboy finished putting away their weapons.

"No thanks, Robin. I think I can handle this. I just wish they didn't make everything so heavy on Starfire's homeworld."

"You think that book will help, Raven?" Beastboy asked

"It's hard to tell" she replied "I haven't thought things out using just my emotions for a long time. But, certain parts of me though the passages in this book have the best chance we have of bringing Starfire home" she was referring to her emotions.

"I hope so. I don't want to hit Starfire with another sonic cannon. It felt bad enough last time" Cyborg added.

"Tell me about it" Beastboy said rubbing his jaw

With this said, Cyborg got into the T-car and the other 3 got into the T-jet and they took off to confront Slade.

Starfire and Slade arrived back at their hangar. He had brought her along while he did some last minute checks on his other facilities. Starfire had not noticed much of the trip though. Her thoughts had been on her friends. And what she must do. He parked their vehicle near the space ship. Slade intended to make this as quick as possible, so as they exited the vehicle he turned to her.

"I trust you have already packed whatever you will need for this trip." He said "You can surely acquire anything you need once we reach your Tamaran, so you shouldn't need much."

"I am prepared to go" she replied flatly.

It was at this point the outer doors of the hangar exploded inward. The hangar was large, so no other damage occurred as the doors fell in.

"You're not going anywhere" Robin yelled after the noise settled, as if he had heard what Slade had said to Starfire, and her reply. (heroes always seem to know the right thing to say)

Starfire was in shock. The Titans were the last people she wanted to see right now. She certainly did not want to fight them. She had been dwelling on what she must do all morning, and at this moment her emotions were much more turbulent anyone could tell by looking at her. She was truly afraid of fighting them, but mostly for their sake.

The Titans came in, Cyborg had an extra cannon mounted on one shoulder, but it was powered down. Beastboy had something that looked like a large stun gun, but it was on his back. Robin had his usual utility belt, and an extra belt across his chest, but his hands were empty. Raven just carried a large book in both hands.

"Apprentice, the Teen Titans have returned" Slade yelled while the ever-present calm remained in his voice "Escort them out of my base immediately."

"We're not here to fight" Robin said, holding his empty hands out in front of him

"Then leave" Slade replied

"Not without Starfire" Robin said (Robin always seemed to do most of the talking with villains. He must have gotten special classes from the Batman) then, for a moment nobody spoke.

Starfire was frozen. As she looked back and forth between Slade and her friends she seemed to be in chaos. She wanted the Titans to beat Slade. She wanted to go home with her friends. She wanted the Earth and Tamaran to be safe. She didn't want to listen to the orders given by this evil man. But, her duty and honor was keeping her chained to him. Her friends had come back here to rescue her. Again. She wanted to be rescued so badly, but still she stayed of her own free will. And soon would die of her own free will.

As she stood there staring at her friends, and hearing Slade's voice she felt her emotions building and crash together. She gripped her fists tighter trying shake them off.

Slade glared at his apprentice. He knew she would not attack her friends unprovoked, no matter what he said. Also, he did not dare attack them either, lest she switch sides to defend them. He was at an impasse. As much as it goaded him to do it, he had to let Robin make the next move.

Robin saw the hesitation Slade had. Robin was smart enough to know what was happening, so he was determined not to let things get out of hand like they had the last time. He could see the emotions swirling in Starfire's green eyes. To fight her now would be suicide, no matter the preparation they had made.

It was in this moment of silence Raven's voice rang out clearly. All eyes turned toward her as she floated there, sitting with her legs crossed, floating behind Robin holding the huge book before her.

Raven read the Celebration of Love. She didn't know it, but this was one of the first stories taught to Tamaranian children. It described the joys of love, in all it's forms. The love you have for your parents. The love you have for your friends. The love you have for all beings, both living and passed on.

As she read, Raven tried her best. But her voice sounded awkward reading the Tamaranian words. She would speed up and slow down, reading as best she could. Her voice seemed broken to her, not completely sounding out the Tamaranian language, certain she was sounding out many of the words wrong. She was worried at how horribly she must sound to her friend.

To Starfire's ears it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. At first she heard Raven's voice translating the words she knew by heart. But then it was her mother's voice singing her those words as she fell asleep, and her father's voice as he carried her on his shoulders laughing, her aunts and uncles during the celebrations of her youth, her birthdays, friendship days. She heard the voices of all her family except one. And then she heard Raven's voice, but the words had not changed. They still sounded just as beautiful as when her mother's voice. Starfire didn't notice the tears running down her cheeks as she heard the words in her heart much more clearly than anyone else could hear them spoken.

Slade knew he was losing control, but he dared not make a move to silence Raven. At this moment he feared what his apprentice would do should he attack her friend. And he knew, more than anyone, what she was capable of. She had never shed a tear while training for him, but now they flowed freely from her eyes. And he feared for his life should she strike him. He took a few steps back toward the shadows.

Raven read on as she saw Starfire staring at her with those huge green eyes. She was nearing the end, and could see Starfire's lips mouthing the words she spoke them, almost leading her. Pacing her to speak them as her mother had, so long ago. The ending phrase was simple, but beautiful. Like the rest of what she had read. "Your love is like a river. Let it flow it can nourish the world. Hide it away, and it will no unworthy to drink. If you love the world, then everyone is your family. But if you love nobody you will always be alone." (The preceding phrase was in Tamaranian, that was a rough translation, since Tamaranians have over 100 different words for "love")

There was a moment of silence after Raven finished and she closed the book. Then Robin spoke up. "Starfire, Slade didn't save anybody from your family. He only saved your sister. You owe him nothing"

She bowed her head. It was so clear to her now how foolish she had been. Her family was here all along, not on Tamaran. She had known those words her whole life, but only now was she beginning to understand them it seemed. Then her heart filled with a joy she hadn't felt in such a long time. She took a flying step, then gathered the Titans together for a group hug. "My friends" she said as she hugged them "I have missed you so much. I am so sorry for not seeing the truth myself, but I am so happy I can call you my family."

The Titans embraced her back in their own ways. Cyborg and Beastboy by hugging her back, and even Raven by putting a hand on the arm Starfire had around her shoulder. Robin did also, saying "And we're sorry we didn't know your culture better. You've been with us a long time and yet we knew almost nothing about you. That is what Slade used against you."

With this Starfire released her friends and they all stepped back, smiling again. Then Robin opened one of the pouches around his waist and held out Starfire's old shirt "We've been saving this for you" he said.

"Oh, Robin. Thank you" she said, taking the garment from his hand. Then the boys blushed and averted their gaze as Starfire stripped off her current shirt and replaced it with the one Robin offered. None of the Titans seemed to care about Slade's presence anymore, except Starfire. She turned and flew up to the shadow he had stepped into and held out Blackfire's shirt. "I'm sorry, Slade, but I cannot repay the debt my sister owes you. She has long ago distanced herself from me, and everyone. She quit being my family, or anyone's, when she decided to live her life alone."

Slade's eye narrowed. There was nothing to be said, so he simply reached out and took the garment. He gripped it in his fist as Starfire turned her back to him and rejoined her friends who moved close to her again. Laughing and hugging her again. Slade turned to leave when he noticed Robin had somehow gotten behind him. Slade readied himself to fight the boy, but Robin only stood there with a smile. "You should be thankful" Robin said "We saved your life today."

Slade's eye narrowed "You did nothing, boy, but take my apprentice away. She learned more from me in a couple months than she ever learned from you." Robin said nothing, but still smiled, knowing he had won. Slade continued "And if you're referring to the device Starfire put in the ship, I had that disabled the moment she fell asleep"

Robin laughed "That antimatter bomb wasn't there to kill you, Slade. It was there for her. You would have died the moment she ripped your ship in half."

Slade's eye widened a moment, as if he was surprised. Then he went back to normal. He stepped around Robin into the shadows and disappeared. Robin rejoined his friends as they hung around Slade's base a bit more. Raven and Beastboy taking her outside while talking and laughing. They even asked Starfire to fly the T-Jet back to the tower, when she asked about Cyborg and Robin, they explained that those two had driven the T-car over and would meet them there.

Cyborg and Robin stayed behind to… improve Slade's base a little. Cyborg went to the hanger and the armory to dismantle anything dangerous he may still have from the plans stolen from the Titans, and Robin went to the security room. By the time Robin had gotten there, though, Slade had wiped the computers and disappeared. But, when they left Slade's base it would be unusable for any kind of scheme for a long time.

EPILOGUE

Jinx had been having trouble sleeping since that night. Her dreams were getting worse lately making it hard to sleep. Dreams, not only of the alien girl, but Brother Blood and Slade as well. She, and her friends, had been kicked out of the Hive after their defeat, with Blood lecturing them about how much money he had wasted on them. When dismissed, he had told the four that he would think about their punishment, which meant he might decide to hunt them down. It was getting late and Jinx took a moment to think about her friends. They had taken refuge in some run-down apartments with a manager who didn't ask questions. She took one room and the boys took another (she wasn't about to live in the same apartment as them, they never cleaned)

The boys where out doing boy stuff, which she had no interest in tonight, so she had stayed in. The television was getting really boring though, so she was considering tracking them down and participating in whatever sport or crime or video games they were doing tonight. Then she heard the light knock on the door. Jinx figured she would ignore it, and whoever it was would just go away. Then another knock. After nearly half an hour it was really hard to keep ignoring it, so Jinx finally caved in. Extremely annoyed she walked to the door, throwing it open. The look on Jinx face changed from annoyance to fear instantly as she shouted "YOU!" lighting up her hands.

Standing outside her door was Starfire. She had her arms at her side and she looked at the ground. She made no move to defend herself, willing to take whatever punishment Jinx was going to give her. Luckily, Jinx was too stunned to move right away. "I wish to say how sorry I am at how I treated you and your friends." Starfire said, never looking up

Jinx stood there for a moment staring. Her hands glowing, she studied the alien girl, who had not moved. Some movement in the trees behind Starfire caught her attention and Jinx smiled. Apparently this Starfire had come ready to accept whatever revenge Jinx and her friends would give her, but the other Titans were nearby. And they wouldn't let her get touched, more than likely. She relaxed. The girl in front of her was no threat, apparently having broken out of Slade's control. "Where's your friends?" she asked. Starfire started to explain that they were at the tower when they suddenly appeared next to her, stepping out of the shadows. "If you want to talk, you're all welcome inside."

Starfire looked up, her eyes lighting up along with her smile "Oh, that would be wonderful. I've felt so terrible since our encounter. I wish to make amends"

Jinx saw the sincerity in her eyes and knew this was no trap. She thought about it for a second and figured spending some time with her may help her sleep better, so she stepped out of the doorway motioning that they could come in, and Starfire stepped in, followed by Raven. When Robin tried to step inside Jinx appeared in the doorway again. "No Boys!" she said, slamming the door in his face. Robin looked at Cyborg and shrugged.

"Pizza and video games then?" Cyborg asked.

"I get dibbs on the veggie pizza" Beastboy added in.


End file.
